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The Los Angeles Lakers were very impressive in their opening night contest against cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Lakers superstar LeBron James stepped up in the clutch for his team, leading his side to a huge 103-101 victory. As it turns out, however, this game took quite a toll on LeBron.
James shared a video of himself on his Instagram account, documenting his struggle in the locker room following the tough battle.
“First game back since March got me on the floor…I gotta get up and get in the shower though…Getting closer, I’m sitting up now.”
– LeBron on IG after 1st bubble game vs. Clippers pic.twitter.com/SBfYsBFlTh— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 31, 2020
It looks like James left everything on the floor in this one, and he looked like a truly exhausted man afterward. While this may be a knock on LeBron James' current conditioning, we wouldn't really read too much into this. After all, it's been more than four months since the 35-year-old last played a full NBA game, so naturally, some rust was to be expected.
LeBron actually struggled against the Clippers on Thursday, going 6-of-19 from the floor (including 2-of-7 from distance) for just 16 points. He did grab 11 boards and dish out seven dimes, so its not as if he had a terrible outing. Most importantly, he came up big for the Lakers on the final two plays of the game, scoring the go-ahead basket on one end, and following that up with a tremendous defensive sequence on the following play.
James talked about his winning shot after the game, and you could clearly see that the 16-time All-Star was absolutely drained.
Lakers’ LeBron James on his game-winner vs. Clippers: “I love having the ball in my hands late in the game. … I was able to follow my own shot and put us up. Put us up for good.” pic.twitter.com/xqjOJkNVB8
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 31, 2020
LeBron will have a couple of days to rest and recuperate, with the Lakers not scheduled to take the floor until Saturday night. They are slated to take on the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors, which is surely going to be another demanding contest for James.
