LeBron James ‘takes over’ again as Lakers outlast Clippers،
LOS ANGELES — Midway through overtime in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 130-125 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday — with LeBron James’ playing time already approaching 40 minutes — Austin Reaves had a decision to take.
By storming the field on a counter-attack, having just stolen the ball from Kawhi Leonard, Reaves could try to finish at the basket himself or involve his 38-year-old teammate.
“At no point after I got that ball did I think I was going to shoot it,” Reaves said. “I saw it and I was going to cross it all the way.”
It wasn’t just any pass. Reaves threw an alley-oop over his shoulder, and James, who was charging hard, took it home to give the Lakers a five-up lead with 2:12 to play. This prompted the Clippers to call a timeout and sent the crowd into a daze.
“I feel like I can throw it anywhere and he’ll go get it,” Reaves said of James. “That’s the crazy thing about how much time he’s playing.”
James added, after finishing with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in 42 minutes: “I’m just happy that I’m still able to go after him at this point in my career. I mean, he’s got me trusted me to go get it. , so I wanted to go.”
The dunk capped a dominant finish to the game for the four-time MVP, who was instrumental in the Lakers ending an 11-game losing streak against the Clippers by scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, with a record 6 of 8 from the field while doing so.
“I mean, he took over,” Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell said of James.
The win brought the Lakers’ record to 3-2, and James continued to stand out in late-game situations. He scored 51 points (10.2 points per game) in the fourth quarter and overtime this season, shooting a combined 21 of 31 from the field (68%).
“If we keep the game close, I feel like in the fourth quarter, that’s when I’m at my best,” James said. “If the game is close, I can play to help us win the game, no matter who is on the court for us.”
With Los Angeles hit by the injury bug early, Taurean Prince (left knee soreness) became a late scratch Wednesday and joined Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol), Gabe Vincent (left knee swelling) and Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) on repair, James took over.
“He was phenomenal throughout the sequence,” said Anthony Davis, who had another good performance with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. “I think [the coaching staff is] sort of banking minutes at first then let [James] just kind of flow throughout the fourth quarter.
Indeed, the caveat that comes with the late-game outburst is that James regularly meets the team’s playing time guideline of limiting him to 28-30 minutes per game.
In five games, James has played an average of 35.6 minutes, a slight increase from the 35.5 minutes played last season. As Lakers coach Darvin Ham has more options, he will reduce James’ playing time, as was the goal, to keep him as fresh as possible for the playoffs.
For now, the team is content to find their place by asking James to take them home.
“He’s not just preparing to be available and be another body on the field,” Ham said. “He’s preparing to be at a very high level. Not only available, but available and elite. So kudos to him.”
