LeBron James isn’t the athlete at age 38 he was at 25.
What he is in 2023 is an even smarter player who has seen it all and can process the game faster than anyone in the league. He’s also more skilled than in his youth and is shooting better than in any of his 21 seasons.
His mind and skill set means LeBron can still take over a game and dominate — and he proved that on a big stage once again, this time against Pelicans in the In-Season Tournament semi-finals in Las Vegas Thursday.
He started to take over in the second quarter, demoralized New Orleans in the third by attacking the rim, and finished with 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting plus eight assists — all in 23 minutes — as the Lakers blew out the Pelicans 133-89.
With that 44-point win, the Lakers advanced to the In-Season Tournament Finals on Saturday night against the red-hot Pacers.
LeBron James came out in ATTACK MODE to lead the Lakers to the Championship of the NBA In-Season Tournament 👑
— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2023
30 PTS / 9-12 FGM / 4-4 3PM / 8 AST / 23 MIN
🏆 The Lakers and Pacers will meet in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Saturday at 8:30pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/fKZehP4Ko3
“Incredible” was how Lakers coach Darvin Ham described LeBron’s night, via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. “He’s the ultimate tone setter. He set an unbelievable tone from the start of the game, and his teammates followed suit.”
LeBron took over the game in the second quarter. He was the most intense and energized player on the court, thriving in the pick-and-roll on offense, blowing up the Pelicans’ pick-and-roll on defense, taking charges in the paint, and hitting 3-pointers in transition like a 2017 Warrior.
LeBron James is ON FIRE, knocking down 3-straight triples in the 2Q 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2023
14 PTS, 5/6 FGM, 3/3 3PM midway through 2 👀
🏀 Pelicans/Lakers on TNT
🏆 Winner faces Pacers in Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday pic.twitter.com/PSGSEhF15b
The Lakers need this LeBron. He scored 14 in the first seven minutes of the second quarter to the Pelicans 13, helping the Lakers push their lead to 11, but when LeBron went to bench the Pelicans instantly went on an 11-3 run to make it a game again. LeBron re-entered and the lead quickly ballooned back to double digits.
If the third quarter were a heavyweight bout in Las Vegas, the referee would have stopped it. LeBron was a force, the Lakers got downhill to the rim, their offense started clicking and the ball was flying around, which fed their defense. The Lakers took the quarter 43-17. Over those 12 minutes, you could see the fight drain out of the Pelicans. The fourth quarter was all garbage time.
“Tonight was a total letdown…" Pelicans coach Willie Green said, via Will Guillory of The Athletic. “A lack of competitive spirit. Tonight, we took a step in the wrong direction.”
Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans off the bench with 14 points, while Zion Williamson had 13 but admitted after the game he has to be more aggressive and take charge in games like this.
For Los Angeles, Austin Reaves added 17 on 5-of-9 shooting, Anthony Davis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Taurean Prince got hot from deep and hit five 3-pointers. As a team, the Lakers shot 48.6% from 3.
If the Lakers get that level of shooting and anything close to that LeBron James on Saturday, Indiana will be in a world of hurt.
