LeBron James exacted revenge on the Portland Trail Blazers after a season-opening loss on the road to start his stint as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, this time falling an assist shy of a monster triple-double and living at the foul — putting concerns of his free-throw shooting to rest for now.
James was averaging less than five trips to the foul line in his last four games, but connected on 13-of-15 foul shots last night en route to a season-high 44 points, to go with 10 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and a steal.
“I get fouled a lot. Sometimes it's called and sometimes it's not,” said James, according to ClutchPoints' Ryan Ward. “Still maintain my focus. There's still so much more of the game to be played.”
“My little league coaches always told me don't cry or complain about a foul. Just play through it. Try to make the bucket and control what you can control. My mindset was like that at age 9-10 years old. Play through it. Play through the contact.”
Wednesday night's victory pushed the Lakers' win streak to four, now 8-6 on the young season after losing five of their first seven games.
This was only the first time of this season in which James converted in double-digit free throws — a welcome sign, considering he's scored double-digit field goals in nine of the team's first 14 games.
James has been under harsh criticism for his poor free-throw shooting at the end of games, so it'll take more nights like this one to put that conversation to bed, eventually.
Follow Us
Subscribe