While it shouldn’t have been necessary, the Los Angeles Lakers got a vintage performance from LeBron James on Friday night to beat the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies.
With what should have been a blowout going down to the wire, James took over in the second half and finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, including one to seal the victory, capping it off by throwing down a reverse dunk in transition.
After the win, James discussed him turning it on in the second half of a must-win game understanding how tight the standings are.
“Just trying to ignite the teammates trying to understand what the moment at hand is,” James said. “Coming into the game, we all knew it was a three-way tie between us, Golden State and Sacramento. There are many consequences. Surely these games will evolve the way they have so far, and that will solve its own problems. But we have to take care of ourselves and I don’t think we played with enough urgency. So I tried to tighten up my defense and change the tempo to see if my teammates would follow suit.”
With so many playoff games under his belt, LeBron knows the Lakers need to finish as high as possible in the standings to earn the top seed.
“Of course it’s important. Every game matters, every seed counts.” James added. “But no matter how you fall or where you fall, you can’t go back to the past. But I certainly can’t sit here and say I’d rather be where I am now than have a seed. That would be a lie. Of course, seeds are important, but wherever you land, you will be up for the challenge.”
Friday’s win was a big one, even if it came against an inferior opponent, as the Lakers jumped from 10th in the West to 8th in the West with help from around the league. With just one game left in the regular season, the Lakers can secure the No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament by beating the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. That would give them two chances to win the play-in tournament and advance to the postseason, rather than having to finish 9th or 10th and win it twice in a row.
Considering the importance of this match, James made it clear that he is ready to play for his team. Even though James only played 41 minutes Friday night in Memphis, he concluded, “I’ll be ready for Sunday.”
LeBron James admitted he thought about the previous game the Lakers lost.
Despite a solid 46-35 record, the Lakers are fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament rather than a top seed. That’s because they lost a lot of games they shouldn’t have played early in the season, and LeBron James admitted that he thinks about those losses often, even though he knows he can’t change anything now.
