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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Scribbler Team
LOS ANGELES – LeBron James held his own in the fourth quarter on Saturday, scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points in a three-minute span to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 131-127 and win 3-0 start of the season.
James was responsible for 18 points during the Lakers’ 21-0 run to start the quarter, scoring 11 immediately after assisting on a Jaxson Hayes dunk before scoring five more.
While it was an old performance for the 22-year-old veteran, James said the fourth-quarter breakout is not something he feels is necessary to make every game work for Los Angeles to win this season.
“Listen, I could do that at 22, but at almost 40, I don’t need to do it for four quarters,” James said, including 14 rebounds and 10 assists, marking the 113th triple-double of his career. “I have the luxury of having an MVP-caliber player by my side.” [in Anthony Davis]. Arkansas [Austin Reaves] you can make it work in clusters. D-Lo [D’Angelo Russell] can catch fire. rui [Hachimura] He’s been consistent and can also get going and score in groups.
“So, this team is not designed for me to have 16-point quarters in all four quarters. That’s not the way it’s built and it shouldn’t or shouldn’t be. We’re a team, and we all play together.” “.
In fact, as hot as James was to start the quarter, it was Davis who finished it off by hitting a 3-pointer and hitting a free throw in the final minute to give Los Angeles the lead.
“We inspired him, the coaches inspired him, we as his teammates inspired him to kill that 3, and probably the biggest shot of the night is him making that 3, so he made it easy for me,” he said James on Davis. .
Davis scored 31 points and recorded his third consecutive 30-point game, tying a franchise record for most consecutive 30-point games to start the season with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant.
James had been relatively quiet during the Lakers’ first two wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, totaling 37 points.
“While you assume he’s getting sick, he continues to explain to the arena why he’s the best,” Davis said of James. “To get out of that stretch, he actually looked at the bench and was trying to get out of the game. We told him, ‘You’re not going out anymore.’ He goes out and hits three others. He never ceases to amaze people because we just know what is capable of doing and what he is willing to do.
While every other Lakers starter had 16 points or more (which backs up James’ claim that he doesn’t need to look to score aggressively from start to finish) when he finds a rhythm like that, there’s nothing left for Los Angeles no You just have to accept it.
“What are you capable of saying?” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We’ve all been very lucky to witness his greatness in the farewell, and the fact that he’s willing to continue doing it is just, really, shaky.”
