LeBron James and Stephen Curry showcased their remarkable skills in a titanic matchup, battling it out in two overtime periods. In Saturday’s NBA action, LeBron guided the Los Angeles Lakers to a close 145-144 victory over the Golden State Warriors with an incredible triple-double.
James had an incredible game, scoring 36 points, pulling down a career-high 20 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists. He demonstrated his skill as he made game-winning free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory. James said he was thrilled to be playing against one of the best players in the history of the game, Curry, and said he was looking forward to spending these moments with his grandkids.
“It’s something I’ll be able to talk about with my grandkids, talk about me being able to compete with one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” James said. “So hopefully, I can be cool with my grandkids at that point, for sure.”
Not to be outdone, Curry amazed everyone with his shooting accuracy and mobility. He put the game into overtime with a spectacular layup, and he was even more impressive in the second OT, defeating Anthony Davis with a crucial 3-pointer.
The performance demonstrated persistent skill; Curry noted that players in their 15th and 21st years, respectively, seldom played at such a high level. He was impressed by their continued dominance in the NBA.
“Every year we get to do this, the back-and-forth battles, all the Finals runs, to the playoffs last year, after the horn sounded tonight, there was a little laugh of we can’t like imagine a scenario where a game like tonight happens, his year, what, 21, and my year 15,” Curry said. “All the other guys in the league who have been doing it 15-plus years, KD (Kevin Durant), CP (Chris Paul), it’s insane.
“You look forward to the battles, but you also appreciate the mutual respect of what it takes to keep doing what you’re doing at this level because only a few people know how hard it is. I’m happy to be in that group.”
Coach of the Lakers, Darvin Ham, was astounded by the players’ exhibition of prowess. He underlined the importance of the match while stressing the fierce rivalry and cohesion of his squad.
“Just trying to control myself first and foremost as a basketball fan,” Ham said. “They should be real happy in New York, this was a hell of a basketball game, a high-level basketball game. Two legends going back and forth, two great organizations. It was fun to be a part of. It’s just one of those wins where it showed our character. Our group is really coming together.”
Curry scored an astounding 46 points in the game, including a season-high nine 3-pointers. In the second overtime, he made a clutch 3-pointer that almost gave the Warriors the victory.
D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points and nailed crucial 3-pointers during the tight minutes of the game, which helped the Lakers win. James recorded his third triple-double of the season and his 110th career as he dominated in the extra sessions. In addition to his 13 rebounds and 29 points, Davis helped the Lakers win by a slim margin.
Klay Thompson of the Warriors leveled the score in the first overtime and kept scoring in the latter minutes of the game until fouling out.
Davis had a scare in the third quarter that added to the suspense, but he came back to play a big role, particularly in the closing seconds of regulation.
The exciting rivalry between the Lakers and Warriors, two teams with all-star lineups, was brought back from the Western Conference semifinals of the previous year. The Lakers made a lot more free throw attempts than Golden State, which was a noticeable difference. Warriors coach Steve Kerr declined to address this topic despite the obvious discrepancy.
“I might comment on the free throws that they shot, but my mom is here right now, and I want to be on my best behavior, so I’m not going to comment on their 43 free throws to our 16,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m not going to comment on Steph shooting three free throws in 43 minutes.”
Curry continued his remarkable scoring and 3-point shooting run with another high-scoring effort. Throughout the game, James and Davis were unstoppable; they shot well and gave the Lakers the advantage in rebounds.
The Warriors’ offensive power was on display as they recorded a season-high in points and 3-pointers despite the defeat. The Warriors suffered their second straight heartbreaking game after losing to Sacramento in close quarters. For the sixth straight game, Jonathan Kuminga scored more than 20 points, maintaining his excellent play.
In the near future, the Lakers will travel to play the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks back-to-back, while the Warriors will host the Philadelphia 76ers.