LeBron James led the Lakers to a win over the Trail Blazers on Friday night and explained the secrets behind his longevity and continued dominance.
The Los Angeles Lakers scored a game-high 35 points to lead the team to a 107-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the group stage of the NBA intraseason tournament on Friday night.
Subsequently, four times NBA championship explained That’s the secret to his continued success at age 38.
“It all starts with the head. Just trying to keep my head as fresh as possible to go out there and help lead my team,” King told Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell. “You know, then it’s just about putting in the work. I put in the work every day into my body, into my craft, and I just try to come out and apply it to the game.”
LeBron James and @湖人reporter About keeping his mind sharp and his ability to read defenses. pic.twitter.com/4ZfE0cK5hf
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 18, 2023
James tied his season-high score in front of a crowd of 18,570 at Oregon’s Moda Center to send the Trail Blazers on their sixth straight loss, and it was clear he planned to keep the tension high all night long.
“It’s definitely a motivation early in the season,” he said of the NBA’s new tournament. “We understand the stakes, but it’s not like we’re putting all our eggs in the same basket for the in-season tournament.”
Although James was listed as questionable due to a calf contusion, he played 34 minutes from start to finish. He added nine assists, five rebounds and two steals to help the Lakers improve their record to 7-6 on the year.
LeBron James, Lakers advance to Group A perfectly
With this victory, Los Angeles jumped to first place in Group A with a perfect 3-0 record in the group stage.
“He shot the ball really well tonight, his rhythm was really good, especially from three. Made some great plays for us, great shots, just slowed them down,” teammate Anthony Davis Said when talking about James’ performance.
Davis was outstanding in this big man’s rebound game; he had a double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 blocks in 34 minutes.
“When the games (tournament) started, we just started to get into a rhythm as a team and make things flow,” he reflected. “Obviously, we had a tough loss in the Sac a couple days ago and we just want to come back and get in the win column.”
And that’s exactly what the Lakers did. LeBron James’ team next hosts the Houston Rockets on Sunday.