LeBron's 56 points helps Lakers push past Warriors.
In his 19th season, LeBron James put on one of his best outings in a Laker uniform, scoring a season-high 56 points to help the Lakers push past the Golden State Warriors 124–116, snapping a 4-game losing streak to keep afloat in the 9th play-in spot in the West.
Klay Thompson’s off night and a poor free-throw percentage as a team played a huge role in the Lakers’ win, with Klay Thompson scoring just 7 points on 23% (3-for-13) shooting and finishing 47% (9-for-19) as a team from the foul-line.
With the fight for a playoff spot heating up, LeBron’s 56 points may have given the Lakers (hopefully) the boost they needed as each game becomes increasingly critical to the standings, with LeBron saying “I don’t give a damn about the 56, I’m just happy we got a win.”
In his 56 point outing, James finished with an insane 61% (19-for-31) shooting on 31 total attempts, finishing 6 for 11 (54%) from three while adding 10 rebounds and 3 assists in 38 minutes of action.
Head coach Frank Vogel praised LeBron’s 56 point outing, saying: “There’s really no words for it. An incredible performance by the best to ever do it, in my opinion. Just remarkable to be doing it at this stage in his career.”
Carmelo Anthony also spoke on LeBron’s 56-point outing, saying: “He was phenomenal. He just put us on his back tonight. What else can I say about it.”
After criticizing his outing in Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks, Russell Westbrook responded with a strong showing as the second option in tonight’s win, scoring 20 points on 53% (9-for-17) shooting, adding 4 assists and 4 rebounds with a plus/minus of +13 in 32 minutes played tonight.
After the game, Westbrook spoke on his night in the win, explaining he’s “Just trying to find ways to be active and get involved. That’s about it.”
The Lakers’ next matchup comes on the road this Monday against the always feisty San Antonio Spurs, who sit 24–39 on the season and will come out with a lot of energy against the Lakers with a Gregg Popovich run Spurs team.