New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday got a glimpse of the greatness of LeBron James when the latter nailed a game-sealing contested corner triple to secure a win for the Los Angeles Lakers.

James had faced arduous criticism from the media after clips of his poor defensive effort surfaced after a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, showcasing defensive lapses and an all-around lack of interest of staying close to his man.

On Wednesday, James hoped to right his wrongs, pouring in 33 points in 37 minutes and proving a catalyst at both ends of the floor to earn the win. Holiday, for one, wasn't one to question James' defense:

“He’s kind of a freak of nature where he can do whatever he wants,” Holiday said of James’ defense, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “He can guard one through five. It just takes effort, that’s all it really is. I think for him athletically, he can move and he can stay in front of anybody. Yeah, there are quicker guys, but if he gets beat, he can meet you at the rim.

“Offensively, he puts it on his shoulders, so from that point, you kind of have to find ways to preserve energy and I feel like sometimes he does that on defense, which I don’t blame him.”

Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry, who faced LeBron in the 2015 NBA Finals as a member of the Golden State Warriors, knew just what his players were up against, fully knowing James was a man on a mission with the Lakers mired out of the playoff picture in the West:

“You’re playing against the best player in basketball,” said Gentry. “At some stage he’s going to do something to help his team get over the hump, and that’s what he did with the shot in the corner.”

James buried a contested corner 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of an alert Holiday, giving the Lakers a much-needed win and putting them within three games of the eighth and final playoff spot.