Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in a last second win over Nuggets
By Ronald Agers
LeBron James is showing heart. He was limping at times but brought things home for the Los Angeles Lakers!
Hereās the difference from analysis from Lake Show Life and other Lakers media outlets. We realize that the quality of a game is not just based on how many points a player scores. The last two games that LeBron James played is a perfect example.
LeBron James scored 31 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 7 assists. Impressive stats but they were not going to impact a Lakers win. Then there are games like these when he scores less (29) and basically orchestrates a basketball game.
But the main difference is the five 3 point shots that he hit in the game.
Whatās important is that LeBron realizes (No matter how everybody tries to downplay the losing streak as a big deal!) that the Los Angeles Lakers needed this game and he played deep into the game to make sure the momentum was solid going into the playoffs.
In 38 minutes, LeBron James scored a team-high 29 points (9-21 shooting, 5-11 from the land of the extra point!) and added 12 assists. He almost matched a career-low in rebounding spanning over 10 years with no rebounds before he got the crucial rebound before Kuzmaās game-winner.
The main thing LeBron helped set the tone on the defensive end. This play right here turned the game around.
Paul Millsap blows this lay up peeking at Anthony Davis from behind. In so many games, LeBron has been caught just ball watching and let opponents get the easy put back and wait for the inbound pass to go back down the floor.
Instead, he blocked the shot so hard he broke the video board with the force of the block.
Going forward, James will have to be able to knock down free throws. 6-10 is not going to get it. If the Lakers put the ball in his hands late, he will get fouled at the end of games. It will come back to bite him eventually.
But bottom line, thereās no win without this guy playing with the intensity he played with in this game. He showed leadership for the last two games that illustrates he is gearing up for the playoffs.