Sunday night wasn’t a good one for the Los Angeles Lakers; they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the final seconds, 113-112.
But LeBron James still managed to be very productive.
One game after going 9-of-28 versus the Dallas Mavericks, he made 15-of-23 shots and finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey couldn’t help praising him.
Via Sixers Wire:
“I say about Joel (Embiid) all the time, they’re just really, really good at basketball,” Tyrese Maxey told reporters. “Bron, he’s really, really good at basketball, and he’s really, really good at taking care of his body. Those two things that, when you do that, the longevity of your career will be special. He’s showing us that right now.”
James is 38 years old and in his 20th season, yet he is still putting up 29.2 points on 50.7% shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Against Philly, he also became only the second player to reach 38,000 career points, as he nears Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record.
Although he has lost some of the athleticism he possessed when he was younger, he is still one of the more physically gifted players in the game, and he is still a terror on the fast break.
“He’s still running up and down the court catching lobs,” Maxey continued. “He’s still a problem for defenses in the league, and you still see it. Hats off to him.”
James has had added pressure on him lately due to Anthony Davis’ stress injury that has kept him out for the past month. The four-time MVP has responded by elevating his game offensively, and as a result, the Lakers have remained within striking distance of the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire contributed to this story
