NEW YORK, April 1, 2024 (AFP) – LeBron James delivered another epic performance on Sunday, scoring 40 points and matching a career-high with nine 3-pointers on 10 attempts as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 116-104 NBA victory at Brooklyn.
James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and the NBA’s oldest active player at 39, made 13-of-17 shots from the floor overall and added seven rebounds and five assists in an effort that had Brooklyn fans giving him a standing ovation.
“I was feeling pretty good today, obviously, shooting the ball from the perimeter,” James said. “I just try to continually put my game where I have no weaknesses out on the floor, especially offensively. Tonight I had it going from the 3-point line.”
James achieved his 77th NBA career 40-point game to match Oscar Robertson for seventh on an all-time list topped by Wilt Chamberlain’s 271.
“I love this game. I try to put everything into the game and with it, it gives back to me,” James said.
“Anytime I’m linked with the greats — and obviously Big O was a big inspiration for me growing up, reading about his history — it’s pretty cool.”
Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds while Japan’s Rui Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers seized a 17-0 lead and never looked back.
D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points and cracked the 10,000 career point barrier in the triumph as the Lakers improved to 42-33, two games ahead of Golden State in the last two West play-in spots.
“Just extremely thankful that he packed the cape on this road trip,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the super-heroic display by James.
“We needed all nine of those threes. (We) kind of dropped the rope in terms of what we were doing… turned the ball over way too much, but that said, you have to just overcome these things.
“You don’t have time to complain and moan… You’ve just got to keep fighting, keep scratching and try to figure out how to correct the situation you’re in. And we were able to do that by some huge shot-making by him.”
– Jokic has triple double –
Nikola Jokic posted his 23rd triple double of the season, sparking the defending champion Denver Nuggets to a 130-101 home victory over Cleveland.
The 29-year-old Serbian center, a two-time NBA MVP, scored 26 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and passed off 16 assists for his 128th career NBA triple double.
“It speaks to why he’s going to be a three-time MVP,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “It speaks to his understanding that it’s not just about Nikola. That’s what I love about him, how selfless he is.
“Tonight (it was) him showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to do what MVPs do. I’m going to lead us to a win… it speaks to his maturity, his leadership, his accountability, ownership — everything you would apply to truly great players.”
The Nuggets, who have won 14 consecutive games when Jokic has a triple double, sank a season-high 21 3-point shots and clinched a playoff berth.
“It feels great. We’ve still got a lot to do,” said Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored 22 points. “Tonight we came out and really showed who we are, just getting after it defensively, rebounding, making shots.
“I thought we played amazing basketball.”
Caldwell-Pope made 7-of-10 shots, 6-of-9 from 3-point range, while Reggie Jackson scored 19 points on 5-of-5 3-point shooting and Michael Porter Jr. added 19 points.
The Nuggets hit 50-of-87 from the floor overall (57.5%) and 21-of-33 (63.6%) from 3-point range while outrebounding the Cavaliers 51-28.
The Nuggets improved to 52-23, percentage points behind Minnesota and Oklahoma City in a three-team fight for the Western Conference lead.
Paul George scored 41 points, Kawhi Leonard added 23 and Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 12 rebounds, sparking the Los Angeles Clippers over host Charlotte 130-118.
Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 32 points to lead the 76ers over host Toronto 135-120, extending the Raptors’ losing skid to 13 games.
Terry Rozier netted 27 points and Bam Adebayo added 22 to lead Miami in a 119-107 victory at Washington.