Remember when LeBron James had the opportunity to try an awkwardly angled, wildly difficult driving layup over the outstretched arms of both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but instead made a pinpoint, cross-court pass to Cam Reddish for a wide-open, would-be game-winning jumper?
That was just a few days ago, but the NBA moves fast. The Los Angeles Lakers were embarrassed by the Houston Rockets between that controversial loss to the Miami Heat and Friday's in-season tournament clash with the Phoenix Suns, and seemed headed for another rough loss for most of the game.
But the purple-and-gold stormed back in the fourth quarter to overcome a double-digit deficit, beating Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and the Suns 122-119 in the desert. James was Los Angeles' best player, finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists on hyper-efficient 11-of-17 shooting. The Lakers' arduous comeback would've been dead in the water without Reddish, though, who drained three of his five triples in the final stanza—including this pivotal corner splash that put his team up five with just over a minute remaining.
Look familiar? It sure did to James, who called out critics of his career-long penchant for finding the open man in crunch-time immediately after Los Angeles' thrilling victory.
“Nothin',” LeBron James replied when asked what Reddish showed him on Friday. “I've already known this in Cam. And to all the naysayers and basketball savants that don't know nothing about basketball and tellin' me that I should've shot that shot in Miami instead of passing to Cam Reddish…Well, I did the same thing tonight because I trust my teammates, and I make the right play every single time. Game ball go to Cam Reddish for sure.”
"I trust my teammate.”
LeBron has all the confidence in Cam Reddish 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SNUtpw56JG
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 11, 2023
Talk that talk, King. The victory moves the Lakers to 4-5 on the season, tied with the Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference standings.
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