For most of the game, the Los Angeles Lakers were trailing the Toronto Raptors, and things got even harder when Anthony Davis had to leave with an eye injury in the third quarter.
But LeBron James led the team in a strong comeback, and the Lakers not only caught up but went on to dominate the Raptors in the fourth quarter, securing a 20-point win.
LeBron’s triple-double performance was key to the victory, and after the game, he was pleased with how the team stayed calm despite the tough start.
“It’s a 48-minute game. Obviously, you want to be as great as you can be throughout 48 minutes, but you just stay kind of even keel,” LeBron said. “I’ve learned that over my career.
Just kind of stay even keel, and you keep working on the habits, you keep doing what you need to do, I think the game will turn around and I think we did that.
“We did that close to the end of the first half, big-time three by DLo to close that half out. And then, after the first couple minutes of the third, we were able to start ramping it back up defensively and offensively. So it’s a good step for us.”
The Lakers had cut the Raptors’ lead to just two points by halftime and then took control in the third quarter, eventually pulling away in the fourth.
LeBron’s playmaking was a major factor in the turnaround, as he recorded his third triple-double of the season with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists.
He completed the triple-double with less than two minutes remaining in the game. As he was sitting on nine rebounds, a fan yelled at him that he needed one more to get the triple-double, and LeBron made sure to get it.
“He definitely yelled at me. Got my attention, so, ‘one more rebound.’ So I got one more, and I pointed at him to acknowledge that I was listening,” James said.
LeBron also took a moment to emphasize that playmaking is his greatest strength.
“It’s always been my biggest threat,” LeBron said. “I’ve always got a kick out of seeing my teammates succeed and being able to attract defenses and being able to read and put them just trying to put the ball on time, on target, towards the rim. Was able to catch Jaxson [Hayes] for a couple lobs at the rim, AR for a couple threes. Find Cam [Reddish], find guys.
“So that’s always been my basketball pleasure, being able to just kind of read the game and put the ball like I say, For guys, just to be able to just shoot, layup, dunk, whatever it is.”
LeBron James made a big impact by finding teammates like Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes throughout the game, which was especially important with Anthony Davis out due to the eye injury.
James knew he had to take on more responsibility in Davis’ absence.
“I mean, obviously, AD is a big-time rebounder, so I have to pick up some of the slack with the defensive rebounder,” LeBron said. “And then, with AD out, taken a lot of eyes off AD because he’s putting so much pressure on the defense this season that now eyes get shifted to other guys.
So now I take some of that responsibility, something I’ve been able to do quite a while. So it’s not hard for me to be able to tap into that, even though that’s not kind of been my role.”
With everyone stepping up, LeBron showed he can still lead the Lakers when needed, helping the team get another win.
