LeBron James helps Lakers take down Jazz with historic NBA feat
Today at 03:15 AM
LeBron James delivered with 27 points and 14 assists, playing a crucial role in leading the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a narrow 105-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night.
James has the most 25-point, 10-assist games in the 3-point era, while Anthony Davis dominated with 33 points and 11 rebounds.
LeBron James tonight:
27 PTS
5 REB
14 AST
2 BLKHe has the most 25p/10a games in the 3PT era. pic.twitter.com/DBLsp3TZYU
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) December 2, 2024
Even with four key players sidelined, including Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers managed to secure the hard-fought victory.
In the fourth quarter, James remained determined to find scoring opportunities, with the Lakers frequently targeting Utah’s second-year guard Keyonte George. On a pivotal play late in the game, the Lakers secured multiple offensive rebounds, but James missed three consecutive three-point attempts during the same sequence.
Now pushing 40, James attempted 14 shots in the final quarter, surpassing his total in four other games this season. However, he converted only five of those attempts and went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
The Los Angeles Lakers dodging a bullet against the Utah Jazz
The Lakers narrowly escaped in the fourth quarter when the Jazz head coach Will Hardy called a timeout just as Collin Sexton drove to the hoop and scored what might have been the game-winning basket.
Los Angeles then applied a triple-team on Sexton during the inbounds pass, causing him to lose possession and preventing a potential game-winning shot from being attempted before the final buzzer.
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 22 points, while John Collins contributed 21 points and 9 rebounds in the Jazz’s fourth straight loss. Walker Kessler added 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Collin Sexton scored 15 points.
The Jazz shot 50.6% compared to the Lakers’ 44.3%, but they committed 15 turnovers, which led to 20 points for Los Angeles. In contrast, the Lakers had only 5 turnovers, contributing to Utah’s eighth loss in their last nine games.
Despite the Jazz’s strong push, the Lakers held firm in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Los Angeles pulled through even with a tough performance from long range. James, missed all 9 of his three-point attempts and made only 12 of his 28 shots, while the Lakers as a whole shot 7-for-33 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Utah hit 14 of their 40 three-point attempts.
Markkanen trimmed the Lakers’ lead to two with a step-back three-pointer just 24 seconds into the period, but Rui Hachimura quickly responded with two threes in a 26-second span, giving Los Angeles a 92-84 advantage.
Sexton then rallied Utah, scoring three consecutive baskets to pull the Jazz within 94-90.
LeBron James coming to the Lakers rescue
LeBron James answered with four points, including a dunk, in a 5-0 run to give the Lakers their biggest lead at 99-90, but Utah countered with a 10-2 rally. With 41 seconds remaining, James beat the shot clock with a left-handed floater to push the Lakers ahead 105-102.
Walker Kessler narrowed the deficit to one point with a basket and then grabbed a defensive rebound with 8.2 seconds remaining.
The Lakers may still face challenges regarding the availability of Reaves, Russell, and Cam Reddish on Monday in Minneapolis. The symptoms for those affected are significant. Russell and Reddish were sidelined Sunday due to illnesses that prevented them from arriving at the arena, while Reaves was dealing with soreness from a frightening fall on Friday.
Reaves' back injury, which the Lakers are describing as a left pelvic contusion, ended his streak of 129 consecutive regular-season appearances. This stretch also included 21 playoff games, two play-in games, and one in-season tournament final.
Beginning a four-game trip without 40% of their regular rotation, including the injured Jaxson Hayes, the players surrounding James and Davis had no option but to step up and adapt.
The post LeBron James helps Lakers take down Jazz with historic NBA feat appeared first on ClutchPoints.
