NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James had one of the best shooting nights of his illustrious career, going 9 for 10 from behind the arc to tie his career high in three-pointers and match a season high with 40 points to lead Los Angeles. The Lakers prevailed 116-104 over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
James had the sellout Barclays Center crowd on its feet as he put the finishing touches on his 3-point shooting display in the fourth quarter. He reached 40 points for the third time this season, most recently on March 16 in a home loss to Golden State.
The Lakers have won five of six since then, and that win moved them nine games over .500 with seven games remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles remained ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers could take the Sacramento Kings for eighth or the Phoenix Suns for seventh in the West, knocking them out of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game with one shutout. .
If James has another such game in the postseason, almost anything is possible for the NBA’s career scoring leader, who continues to amaze at 39.
The 20-time All Star finished 13 for 17 overall as the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip and bounced back from Friday night’s loss at Indiana that snapped their five-game winning streak.
Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds and Rui Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game the Lakers led by 20 points in the first quarter and controlled throughout. Brooklyn only trailed by double digits once in the second half. Cam Thomas led the Nets with 30 points.
The Lakers scored 114 of their 116 points from the start.
James also made nine 3-pointers on Jan. 24, 2023, against the Clippers, shooting 9-for-14. His 90% shooting rate was the second-best of his career in games in which he made at least five 3-pointers, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He was 5 for 5 against Oklahoma City on Dec. 23 of this season.
Brooklyn was 0-for-8 from the field when interim coach Kevin Ollie called his first timeout just over 4 minutes into the first quarter after James grabbed a defensive rebound and hit Davis with a long layup for an isolated dunk, and the futility continued until Nic Claxton broke the ice after an 0-for-11 start by banking in a 10-footer.
However, the lead quickly grew to 20 when the score was 24-4 with 4 ½ minutes left in the opening quarter and the Barclays Center crowd fell silent as the Nets laid that particular Easter egg. The Lakers’ lead was 31-10 after one quarter as Brooklyn shot 4-for-21 and was outscored 21-11.
James continued to singlehandedly hold the Nets in the third and fourth quarters with 3s, the eighth of which fell to his left from the corner to give the Lakers a 108-91 lead.
James then isolated Claxton on the perimeter on the next possession and dribbled between his legs several times before making his ninth 3 to make it 111-93.
NEXT
Lakers: At Toronto on Tuesday.
Nets: At Indiana on Monday.
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