He is the third-highest scoring player in NBA history, quickly closing in on Karl Malone for second place. But for some reason, LeBron James has never been considered a pure scorer.
On Saturday night, James reminded everyone that he’s more than capable of racking up big points on a variety of shots.
James had a season-high 56 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak.
It was the third-highest points tally of a career for James, who finished with at least 50 points for the 13th time. His career high was 61, playing for Miami against Charlotte in 2014.
James was 19-for-31 from the field, shaking off a bruised right elbow in the first half. And he received praise from friends and rivals.
“He was phenomenal tonight,” said Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, who had 14 points. “The way this came about, the pace and flow of the game, he was a huge reason for us to come back and get those offenses. He just put the team on his back tonight.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said when James “finds his 3-pointer like he did in the second half, it’s very difficult to shoot.”
“He was brilliant tonight, he was amazing,” said the strategist.
Russell Westbrook added 20 points.
Stephen Curry had 30 points for Golden State and Jordan Poole added 23. The Warriors have dropped four in a row to drop to third overall in the NBA, a half game behind Memphis and 8 1/2 games behind Phoenix.
Anthony completed a 3-point play to give the Lakers the lead 114-112 with 3:29 left and Malik Monk hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to five after Austin Reeves stole a pass from Curry.
James got an alley-oop pass from Monk, who stole a pass after a Los Angeles fumble. James, who had 26 points in the first half, was the reason the Lakers stayed in contention.
It was the 24th straight game for James with at least 25 points to extend the longest streak of his career.
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