On the road against one of the better teams in the Western Conference without his leading-scorer Anthony Davis, LeBron James delivered one of his best end-to-end performances of the season, scoring 35 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists in a 129-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night to push L.A.’s current win-streak to seven games.
As unbelievable as it may seem in his 17th season, Friday was the first time in LeBron’s career that he scored over 35 points and grabbed over 15 rebounds in a game. James also passed Michael Jordan for fourth on the NBA’s All-Time career field goal list. LeBron closed the game playing center as the Lakers big men were either all hurt or in foul trouble. The Lakers led by as many as 21 in the game as James led the way but he also got a massive hand from Kyle Kuzma, especially early.
In a big spot without Davis, Kuzma came out on fire to begin the game with 11 points in the first quarter and 21 in the first half overall. He cooled off considerably in the second half but the spark he provided early helped the Lakers build a major lead that was difficult, if not impossible, for Dallas to come back from. Kuzma finished with 24 and struggled to hit in the second half but little of that mattered with the way LeBron was playing. Kuzma also had six rebounds, including four offensive rebounds.
And on a night where both Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee had five fouls in the third quarter, the Lakers survived much of this game without any of their traditional big men. LeBron himself played great and after a season where he’s been the leading man with the assists, James played center to help the Lakers get a win.
The Lakers are back on the court tomorrow night in Oklahoma City against Chris Paul and the Thunder, who have won eight of their last 10 games.
