Austin Reaves had to make a choice midway through overtime in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 130-125 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, since LeBron James’ playing time was fast approaching forty minutes.
After snatching the ball from Kawhi Leonard and sprinting up the floor, Reaves may attempt to finish at the hoop alone or pass the ball to his 38-year-old colleague.
“At no point after I got that ball did I think I was going to shoot it,” Reaves said. “I saw him and I was going to pass it the whole way.”
This was no ordinary pass. With 2:12 remaining, Reaves fired an alley-oop over his shoulder, and James, who was playing with a lot of intensity, slammed it to put the Lakers up by five. It made the fans agitated and forced the Clippers to take a timeout.
Reaves said of James, “I feel like I can just throw it anywhere and he’ll go get it.” “That’s the crazy part with how long he’s been playing.”
Following his 42-minute performance of 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, James continued, saying, “I’m just thrilled I can still go grab it at this stage in my career. I wanted to go up there since, after all, he trusted me to get it.”
The four-time MVP’s slam completed an impressive end to the game. He helped the Lakers end an 11-game losing run against the Clippers by scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime while shooting 6-for-8 from the floor.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell said of James, “I mean, he took over.”
The Lakers’ record improved to 3-2 with the victory, as James kept coming up big in closing moments of games. Despite shooting a scorching 21 for 31 from the floor (68%), he has scored 51 points (10.2 points per game) in the fourth quarter and overtime this season.
“If we keep the game close, I feel like in the fourth quarter, that’s when I’m at my best,” James said. “If the game is close, I can make plays to help us win the ballgame, no matter who is out on the floor for us.”
While Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol), Gabe Vincent (left knee swelling), Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis), and Taurean Prince (left knee discomfort) were all forced to sit out the game on Wednesday due to injury, James has taken up the slack for L.A.
“He’s been incredible in the final stretch,” said Anthony Davis, who also had a fantastic day with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. “I think [the coaching staff is] kind of banking minutes early on and then letting [James] just kind of flow throughout the fourth quarter.”
The catch to James’ late-game genius has been his consistent disregard for the team’s playing time policy, which caps him at 28–30 minutes every night.
James has averaged 35.6 minutes through five games, which is a little more than the 35.5 minutes he played the previous season. As was intended, Lakers coach Darvin Ham will limit James’ playing time in order to keep him as fresh as possible for the postseason. Ham has more choices at his disposal.
James is bringing them home, pleased for the time being while the squad finds its feet.
“He doesn’t prepare to just be available and be another body on the floor,” Ham said. “He gets ready to perform at a very high level. Not only accessible, but also exclusive. So well done, him.”
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