LeBron James sprinted across the paint from left to right, using body contact to force the ball up and off the backboard and through the rim.
His teammates stood and cheered as his momentum carried him to the corner of the Lakers bench.
It’s not just any shot against any opponent. That’s two points better than Dillon Brooks. That’s why James makes sure to keep his hands near the court.
The message is “too small”.
James once again performed well, scoring 37 points and hitting the winning free throws when Anthony Davis came off the bench to help the team beat Houston 105-104.
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1. Lakers star LeBron James loses the ball and Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defends him during the second half on Sunday. 2. Lakers star Anthony Davis attempted a pass to Houston Rockets center Alperon Sengon during the first half. 3. Lakers forward Cam Reddish (left) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. compete for a rebound in the second half. (Alan J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
But Brooks — who stirred things up with James in the playoffs last spring as a member of the Grizzlies — has no plans to back down.
When Brooks hit back-to-back big shots in the fourth quarter to preserve the Rockets’ lead, he forced James to respond.
This time, the shooting of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader does the talking.
A baseline reversal broke the shot clock, and a catch-and-shoot three-pointer became the team’s winning shot, but neither knocked down the Rockets. Austin Reaves’ 30-foot 3-pointer to give the Lakers a three-point lead also came up short.
Instead, James’ free throws after missing the first shot proved to be the deciding factor.
Lakers star LeBron James (center) drives to the basket between Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (left) and guard Fred VanVleet during the second half on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Alan J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Houston’s last chance happened to be a half-court pass from Brooks that could have stolen the game. It misses wide range.
Davis scored 27 points, 10 rebounds and 1 block before leaving the game with six fouls. Austin Reeves scored 17 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 6 assists in just 25 minutes off the bench for the Lakers. He did, however, miss a crucial late free throw – the only hiccup on a big night.
The Lakers once again survived a night where they were severely behind on outside shooting, as the Rockets took eight more 3-pointers than the Lakers, finishing 6 of 29 (20.7 percent).
Somehow, the Lakers are 3-0 on the season while shooting less than 22 percent from three.
The team can lock up a spot in the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament on Tuesday night when they host Utah in the pool finals.
