Three-time NBA champ LeBron James took to Instagram shortly after he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a huge 112-103 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. The 35-year-old veteran shared an image of himself alongside a roaring lion, and judging by his tremendous performance against the Clippers, it's hard to deny that the comparison is truly apt:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fdeesg4Cn/

LeBron turned in a vintage performance on Sunday, finishing the contest with 28 points (7-of-17 from the field and 12-of-14 from the line), two 3-pointers, seven rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks in 35 minutes of action. This was a matchup between the top two sides in the Western Conference, and this victory gave the Lakers a comfortable 6.5-game cushion against the second-place Clippers.

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More importantly, this was a highly anticipated contest between two teams considered to be two of the favorites to contend for this year's title. This was their third meeting of the season, with the Clippers winning their first two encounters. The Lakers will have an opportunity to tie this season series up when these two sides meet for a fourth and final time on April 9.

James' determination and intensity have been on full display of late, with this win over the Clippers coming right after another crucial victory against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. The Lakers have now won four straight and nine out of their last ten games. LeBron and company are on a different level right now, and they're now just two games behind the Bucks for best record in the NBA.