LeBron James loves competing with Dillon Brooks

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers managed to get their revenge on the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, and although they edged out a 105-104 victory, the result was a tough one.

The Lakers got off to another slow start in the first quarter, but as usual, they rallied in the second half and took the lead. However, the Rockets, led by Ime Udoka, played tough and fought back to keep the game going until the final moments of the fourth quarter.

LeBron James was in great form in Year 21 as he continued his stellar streak, scoring a season-high 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting. James was noticeably more active on the court due to his duel with Dillon Brooks, with the two getting into arguments multiple times throughout the night.

Brooks is always trying to piss off James, which the King admits brings extra motivation when they play against each other.

“Yes, of course,” James said. “He’s a great competitor. I love going against him. Of course, he played basketball tonight. He shot the ball really well and kept them in the game. I think they were down seven at one point and he was in the fourth Made two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep them in the game. So I mean, it’s competition. Those young guys, they got me going, so it takes them.”

However, James later said it didn’t give him any more energy when players like Brooks tried to attack him. “No. No, but I understand what competition means, and I love competing. So no, it’s okay with me.”

James and Brooks have had their fair share of moments and incidents over the past few years, though the 38-year-old beat him more often than not. Although Brooks scored 24 points on the night, he and Houston were unable to bring out the great role of James in critical moments.

It wasn’t a pretty win by any means, but the purple and gold finally found a rhythm and slowly moved up the standings. With James playing at such an elite level, the Lakers have to feel good about their prospects for the rest of the season.

Austin Reeves says clutch 3-pointer against Rockets comes down to believing in yourself

Austin Reaves was the main reason Los Angeles escaped with the victory, hitting multiple game-winning shots at critical moments. However, his best performance came in the final minute when he drained a deep 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead.

Later, Reeves told him that filming and producing the show ultimately came down to his belief in himself.

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