LeBron James has seen and experienced everything that can happen on an NBA court. He famously sees the action multiple steps ahead of everybody else, leaving him more than ready for whatever the game throws at him.

“I knew at a very young age that I had the ability to read the game before the game was even being played or possessions. Being able to read plays ahead of time,” LeBron said after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a win over the Houston Rockets on Monday. “I always knew that at any part of my game, as far as athleticism, would start to go down, that I could still outthink a lot of my competition. And as my athleticism goes down a little bit, I knew I could expand my game up.”

And yet, at age, 38, he's still capable of surprising himself with his consistent ability — or more accurately, availability — to dominate.

James single-handedly carried the Lakers (20-24) to a too-close-for-comfort 140-132 win over the tanking Rockets. On the second leg of a back-to-back, following a grueling loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron (a game-time decision) powered his way to a season-high 48 points (16-of-26 shooting), eight rebounds, and nine assists in 37 minutes.

James shined from all three levels. He easily orchestrated offense from the jump. His passing was crisp. He explosively attacked the rim. He had a distinct pep in his step throughout the night. He shot 5-of-10 from 3 — his best showing from downtown in weeks.

The Lakers needed every bit of his brilliance to avert disaster, as they deeply struggled in the minutes he rested — an ongoing trend. In the 16 games since Anthony Davis' foot injury, the Lakers are +89 with LeBron on the floor (elite) and -109 when LeBron sits (horrid), as ESPN's NBA Today noted.

LeBron is as in tune with his body as any athlete has ever been. Yet, even he admitted that he was surprised at the juice he had on Monday once he hit the hardwood.

“I was extremely exhausted today, extremely tired,” he said postgame. “Body was sore from the battle that we had yesterday versus Philly. I guess once I stepped on the floor for warmups and the crowd fills in, it’s my job to go out and play the best way I can.

“I could have very easily took tonight off, but I don’t feel like the momentum of our ballclub could use me taking a night off like tonight. I don’t feel like I wanted to sit on that loss with Philly last night. I wanted to kind of get that out of my tastebuds and see if we could win a ballgame.”

LeBron is averaging 37.8/9.0/6.4 in the four second legs of B2Bs he has played in 2022-23.

As much as the evening spotlighted the Lakers' extreme reliance on the 20-year veteran, it shined an equally bright light — as Tom Brady struggled against the Dallas Cowboys — on LeBron's unprecedented longevity. (“I'm just trying to keep up with the Bradys,” LeBron cracked.)

LeBron is averaging 37.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on 55.6% shooting in seven appearances since turning 38 (he banked a Player of the Week award). More importantly, the Lakers have won five of those games.

“I think it’s historic, man, on a lot of different levels,” Darvin Ham said about LeBron's heater. “For him to be at this point in his career and still able to produce at the level in which he’s producing, I just think all of us just really being able to witness it, be a part of it, it shows his competitive spirit and his no-quit mentality.”

LeBron's body's readiness to ball wasn't the only age-related development that took LeBron by surprise on Monday. Jabari Smith Jr. reminded LeBron midgame that his father, Jabari Smith Jr., faced LeBron in LeBron's first career NBA game, way back in 2003.

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“It made me feel extremely old when Junior told me that,” James said. “I think he even said it, like, ‘You probably feel old,’ or something in that context. … I've just been extremely blessed to be able to play this game and to be able to touch multiple generations,” James said

LeBron mentioned the presence of the Rockets' Kenyon Martin Jr. and his dad in Crypto on Monday and recalled competing against both Gary Payton Jr. and Sr. and Gary Trent Jr. and Sr.

“It's just a unique thing that I've been able to withstand the test of time for as long as I've been playing, to be able to compete now versus father-and-son combinations,” James said.

Remarkably, James has shared the court with nine father-son combinations in his career, per SB Nation. Based on the state of his body and mind, he looks on track to be the first NBAer to play alongside his child.

LeBron may have surprised himself on Monday, but the Lakers — and everybody else — have come to expect this … 20 years in. For the moment, he really is beating Father Time. It's the only thing keeping the Lakers alive.