Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James logged his second triple double of the season in a win over the Miami Heat on Thursday in Miami. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
LeBron James shared words for critics who said the Los Angeles Lakers are better without him, calling them out after a win over the Miami Heat.
James notched a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple double in the 134-126 triumph Thursday in Miami. With the start, he also tied Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish for the all-time games played record at 1,611.
“Availability, I’ve always wanted to be available for my teammates, either in Cleveland, Miami and now in Los Angeles,” James told reporters. “It takes a lot.
“It’s a mental toll, trying to play a lot. … I give a lot of praise to the man above and just loving and appreciating the game.”
King James averaged 21.3 points, 6.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds through his first 49 starts of his 23rd season. Despite the unprecedented statistics for a 41-year-old, critics have questioned if the Lakers would play a better, quicker style without him on the floor.
The Lakers (45-25), who are on an eight-game winning streak, sit in third place in the Western Conference. The first three wins of the streak came without James, who was out due to an elbow injury and lingering left foot arthritis.
The Lakers went 14-7 overall without James this season. James averaged 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists over the Lakers’ last five contests, including 24.5 points, 10 rebounds and six assists over the Lakers’ last two games.
“I was out a couple weeks ago and I was able to come back and see how I fit best with those guys because they were playing so dynamic off one another,” James said Thursday in Miami. “But I mean, it sells papers a lot easier and clippings and podcasts if you say their team is better off without LeBron.
“That’s how a lot of people try to view it, so I get it. They’re absolutely wrong.”
Thursday’s performance also came after the Lakers experienced travel delays, which resulted in a 5 a.m. EDT hotel arrival. James admitted the road trip, which started with games Monday and Wednesday in Houston, has taken a “mental and physical toll.”
“It was definitely a mental and physical toll,” James said. “Obviously, we got in at the time we got in. I don’t think anybody got much sleep last night. I just wanted to see how the body felt, how the mind felt. … Decided to give it a go. We all decided to give it a go. It was a big, gritty win for us on the road, especially under the circumstances.”
James’ stellar showing came after he went 13 of 14 and scored 30 points to help the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday in Houston. He tarted his Thursday spectacle by extending his efficient streak to a 21 of 22 clip from the field, spanning from the end of the Rockets win through the third quarter of Thursday’s victory.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic, who logged 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds against the Rockets, followed with a game-high 60 in Miami. He netted 20 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers will continue their road trip with three games — in Orlando, Fla., Detroit and Indianapolis — over a five-day span. They will battle the Magic (38-31), who are on a three-game losing streak, at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday at Kia Center.
The Miami Heat (38-32), who sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, will take on the Rockets (41-27) at 8 p.m. Saturday in Houston.
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LeBron James when he was a high school senior playing basketball at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio, on February 14, 2003. James signed his first NBA contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers that same year. Photo by Tom Cammett/UPI | License Photo
