Welp, the minutes restriction didn’t last very long.
It took him a while to get in a rhythm, but in the end LeBron James put on a vintage fourth quarter performance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first win of the season over the Phoenix Suns 100-95 at crypto.com Arena.
James—who wound up playing 35 minutes without sitting the entire fourth quarter—put on a show when his team needed him most, finishing the game with 21 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks.
And with a tight contest late, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer went on a six-point run all by himself to give the Lakers a lead they would never relinquish.
Following the season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets, coach Darvin Ham revealed that James would be on a minutes restriction of around 28-30 minutes a night and stuck to that plan for most of the game against the Sun.
That is until he realized he couldn’t take the 38-year-old off the floor if the Lakers wanted to win.
It was also a redemption night for Anthony Davis—who was heavily criticized for his performance against the Nuggets when he had zero points in the second half—had 17 over the final two quarters against Phoenix, including several clutch buckets down the stretch.
He wound up leading the charge with a team-high 30 points to go along with 12 rebounds, two assists, three steals and three blocks.
Lakers’ fans had plenty of love for their two stars.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
LEBRON SWEET MOVE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CX4WUwkplJ
NBA @NBA
LeBron and AD on the defensive end ➡️ LeBron with the slam 💪
Lakers are on a 20-5 run.
PHX/LAL | Live on TNT | #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/8ryVJ3PCVc
StatMuse @statmuse
Most games with 5+ stocks by an active player:
214 — Anthony Davis
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Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
Anthony Davis’ 3 gives the Lakers their first lead since midway through the first. LeBron’s dunk extends the lead to three. Timeout Suns.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
LeBron rn pic.twitter.com/oLB6n5uq98
Kazeem Famuyide 🇳🇬 🍎 @Kazeem
LeBron and KD trading big plays down the stretch. We’ve been starving. pic.twitter.com/RaPzOdTYVg
ᵢG:@Dyᵥ₁₀₀ₖ₂₁₄ ⭐️🇨🇱🌊🩸 @DYV100GRAND
Lebron still klutch 💪🏾😂
James McCann stan account @frankie_jo_
LEBRON JAMESSSSS
At The Buzzer @AtTheBuzzer1
Kevin Durant watching Lebron takeover pic.twitter.com/0JAgweWHtR
Hack @itzHack_
Lebron is still him
Ray Valdivia @valdivia_ray
Father Time has met his match, his name is LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/t4YJ7L2KiO
Gideon @LifeofGid
LEBRON REALLY THE GOAT
Sam @Samaold1
Lebron is 38 bro how is he doing this
𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙮 (he/him) @MannyVaIIadares
LEBRON JAMES pic.twitter.com/MrhE9HzA7C
Mister @Mr_Garrett1
Look at Lebron man pic.twitter.com/e6bTwVp3nE
B-Smoove @Ricky_Spanish24
LEBRON WOKE UP FEELING DANGEROUS 😏 pic.twitter.com/DnRcDNjteY
TG @RyanGTaylor7
LeBron James. Year 21. Unreal. 🐐👑
BurstG @BurstG_
LeBron will always be king 👑 pic.twitter.com/hWUlWYujKK
Rilo @Ack3rman23
Year 21 lebron James still getting buckets
The Laker Files @LakerFiles
Anthony Davis tonight:
30 Points (13 Pts in the 4th)
13 Rebounds
2 Assists
3 Blocks
3 Steals
39 Minutes (Played the Whole 4th)#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/YHKGuvrGei
LAKERS MAFIA 💰⚜️ @Lakerszone23
FIRST LAKERS WIN OF THE YEAR 🚨🚨
YEAR 21 LEBRON IS A DOG ✅
ANTHONY DAVIS IS HIM ✅
LIFE IS GOOD pic.twitter.com/95Lr0YPlNH
Next the Lakers will attempt to stay on a good roll with a matchup on the road against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
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