LeBron James was phenomenal for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, scoring a game-high 35 points to lead his team to a 107-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA In-Season Tournament group play.
Afterwards, the four-time NBA champion explained the recipe behind his continued success at age-38.
“It all starts with the mind. Just trying to keep my mind as fresh as possible to go out there and help lead my team,” the King told Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell. “You know, and then it's about putting the work in. I put the work in daily on my body, onto my craft, and I just try to come out and just implement to the game.”
James matched his season-high in points to hand the Blazers their sixth straight loss in front of 18,570 spectators at the Moda Center in Oregon, and it was clear he had a plan to bring the intensity all night long.
“It’s an incentive for sure, this early in the season,” he reflected on the NBA's new tournament. “We understand what’s at stake, that’s not saying we’re putting all our eggs in one basket in the In-Season Tournament.”
Although James was listed as questionable with a calf contusion, he started and ended up playing 34 minutes. He added nine assists, five boards and two steals, as the Lakers improved to 7-6 on the year.
LeBron James, Lakers perfect in Group A
With the win, Los Angeles vaults to first place in Group A with a perfect 3-0 record in group play.
“He shot the ball extremely well tonight, he was in a great rhythm, especially from 3. Made some huge plays, big time shots for us, the kind that just slowed them down,” teammate Anthony Davis said about James' performance.
Davis was excellent himself in a bounce-back game for the big man; he scored a double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and five blocks over 34 minutes.
“When it [the tournament] started we just started to find our rhythm, click as a team, just kind of getting things rolling,” he reflected. “Obviously a tough loss a couple of days ago at Sac, and we just wanted to come back and get in the win column.”
And that's exactly what the Lakers did. Next up for LeBron James' team is a matchup with the Houston Rockets at home on Sunday.