If anyone doubted that LeBron James could still play at an elite level on demand in his 21st season, he assuaged those concerns on Thursday versus the Phoenix Suns.
After three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers were down by 12 points, and to that point, James was having a lackluster game (by his standards). But he played every single minute of the fourth quarter and helped spearhead a Lakers comeback and 100-95 victory. He scored 10 points in the final frame, including three layups, and he finished with 21 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.
With seven seconds left, Los Angeles up by five and victory almost assured, James leaped high to deflect an inbounds pass intended for Kevin Durant. A photo of that deflection has been making the rounds on social media, and it illustrates how high James can jump, even with all the wear and tear on his body.
Lakers’ LeBron James skies to deflect a pass to Suns’ Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/4xHXyA8m0w
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 27, 2023
It was thought the four-time MVP was on a minutes restriction, but he ended up playing a total of 35 minutes, proving that it was more of a guideline than a restriction. In any case, the team will have two full days off before visiting the freewheeling Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
