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- LeBron James leads the Lakers to victory over the Phoenix Suns to keep the Lakers in contention for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
- James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds and Luke Kennard had 19 points in the Lakers’ 101-73 win.
The ball is back in LeBron James’ hands, and he is thriving in his “new” role as the Lakers’ primary care-taker.
James is in this position following injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He had been the third option behind the backcourt stars before he shifted back to a role he has been accustomed to playing over his 23-year career.
James has been a force over the last three games, with his latest standout performance coming Friday night in the Lakers’ 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.
Their season turned into a nightmare with injuries to stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who should not be rushed back to play in hopes of saving the season.
James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds to help the Lakers secure at least the No. 4 seed in the uber-tough Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers (52-29) still have a shot at the third seed if they beat the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday, the final day of the regular season, and if the third-place Denver Nuggets (53-28) lose at San Antonio. Because the Lakers won the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, they would get the higher seed if the teams finish with identical records.
“Obviously we are going to be able to feed off our crowd. That’s going to be great,” James said. “We’re going to have home court. That’s great for our fans. But the game is played in between the four lines. So, looking forward to that.”
The Lakers will have home-court advantage in the first round whether they play as the third seed against No. 6 Minnesota or as the fourth seed against No. 5 Houston. It’s a well-earned reward for James and a Lakers team that was reeling just last week.
Against a shorthanded Suns team missing Devin Booker, Jordan Goodwin and Jalen Green, James was 10 for 16 from the field and two for two from three-point range.
Leading his own shorthanded team in the last three games, James has averaged 28 points, 12.6 assists and 7.7 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
He was on point from the beginning against the Suns.
James quickly went by a defender on a back-door cut, took a pass from Luke Kennard and threw down a two-handed, rim-rattling dunk. James flexed in front of teammates on the bench, who stood to give their approval. The Suns called time out with 4 minutes 53 seconds left in the first quarter, giving the fans more time to appreciate what James still is able to do at 41 years old.
“I’m just trying to make plays,” James said. “I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously it wasn’t what it was this year. But circumstances have put me back in and I’m just trying to figure out my teammates and my teammates feeding off me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”
Coach JJ Redick believes teams want to face his group in the playoffs because of its injuries. Doncic and Reaves are not expected back for the first round.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us. Let’s get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us,” Redick said before the game. “Probably teams that are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well. ... Again, I’ll say what I told the team yesterday, what I told you guys after the game, we have to figure out the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so that’s our focus for tonight and that’s going to be our focus on Sunday.”
For Kennard, who had 19 points and three assists in his new role as the lead point guard, the Lakers face a big challenge without Doncic and Reaves.
“You’re missing 60 points a game, and yeah, it’s definitely out there and I’m sure people are thinking about that and what we’re missing,” Kennard said. “But we also have [James], and the way he’s been playing and leading us has been incredible, and obviously, we’re going to need him to continue to do that. But I think these last few games everybody’s starting to get a rhythm.
“We’re starting to figure out what playoffs are going to look like for us, rotations and all of that. Guys are getting more comfortable with it and they’re playing well together and it’s been fun. So, yeah, I think no matter who we play, we’re going to be ready to fight from Day 1, Game 1. And they gotta come here first, no matter who it is, and I think we’re going to look forward to it.”
Notes
Backup center Jaxson Hayes missed his third straight game because of left foot soreness but has been making progress. “Hope to have him back Sunday,” Redick said. “But yeah, he’s still day to day.” ... Marcus Smart, who missed nine straight games because of a bruised right ankle, had six points in 18 minutes. ... The Lakers have a roster spot available to sign another player for the playoffs after they waived guard Kobe Bufkin. “We’re evaluating all the options,” Redick said.
