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The NBA season is only a month old, and statement games aren’t usually made in January. However, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, LeBron James did just that.
The King's brilliant performance against Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke volumes when it came to the debate about the league’s best player. The game marked the first meeting between James and Antetokounmpo since LeBron finished second in the MVP voting last season, which didn’t sit well with the four-time champion, who believed that he should have received more votes.
Against Giannis and the Bucks, James finished with a game-high 34 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, making 13 of 25 shots, including six triples, while playing 38 minutes. Antetokounmpo, who also bagged the Defensive Player of the Year award last season, led the Bucks with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists. But The Greek Freak also committed nine turnovers, and when the game was on the line, it was The King who made the biggest plays.
LeBron. Sixth trey of the night.
(📺: @SpectrumSN & TNT) pic.twitter.com/a8yKO6M3Qd
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 22, 2021
The win gives the Lakers a 12-4 record, the best in the league, and a half-game ahead of the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference. Milwaukee, meanwhile, fell to 9-6 and absorbed their first back to back losses this season, though they remain third in the Eastern Conference. After the game, James clarified that last season’s MVP voting was far from his mind when he faced the Bucks, and he was merely focused on getting the win for the Lakers, which moved up to 8-0 on the road this season.
Article Continues Below“It's never been about individual (honors),” Lakers superstar LeBron James said, per ESPN. ”It’s all about the team success. That's all that matters. I just want to play well and help our team versus any opponent. That's what it's all about.”
But aside from getting the team success that he was referring to in the win against the Bucks, James also made a strong case about why he should win the MVP for the fifth time in his career. After winning the title for the first time in a decade in October, the Lakers faced the shortest offseason in NBA history and were expected to have some early struggles, especially as they replaced four key players from last year’s squad on top of a grueling championship run.
However, that doesn’t seem to be the case early in the season, with the team racing to the league’s best record and James picking up right where he left off, averaging 23.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in his 18th season. And in one of the Lakers’ biggest games so far, LeBron was at his best, draining shots from beyond the arc and bullying defenders inside the paint in one of his finest performances this season. Whether he admits it or not, games against Giannis and Milwaukee also seem to light a fire and bring out the best in him.
LeBron James has scored 30 points in 6 of his last 7 games against Giannis Antetokounmpo, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 22, 2021
It remains to be seen if either James or Antetokoumnpo will win the MVP by the end of the season, as other players like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic have also emerged as contenders for the award. There’s also a lot that could still happen this season, with the Lakers beginning a tough road trip and the Bucks still trailing the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.
But on Thursday, in a game against the reigning MVP and the team that dominated the regular season in the last two years, LeBron James put the Lakers on his back and turned in one of his best performances in Year 18, making it clear that The King isn’t planning to give up his throne as the league’s best player any time soon.
