LeBron James spoke after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 40-year-old forward scored 29 points and added seven rebounds and six assists, helping Los Angeles improve to 17-6.
James discussed his physical condition following a brief absence, saying, “Felt pretty good. With the couple days that we had… had two and a half days to kind of… work through the injuries that I have and I’m still not 100% but I felt a lot better tonight than I did coming out of the Toronto game.”
He reflected on the interaction with the Philadelphia crowd, noting, “One thing you know about Philly fans, they don’t care about anybody besides their home teams. And I respect that and I love that… to be able to have an appreciation for the city of brotherly love and for me to go out and still play the game that I love… it’s pretty cool.”
James also highlighted his connection with Tyrese Maxey, saying, “It’s the best. Same pace. No, I will guarantee his pace is a lot faster than my pace these days. But I love the success um and the humbleness that Tyrese does it at… he’s just taking full advantage of the opportunity here and he’s making the most of it.”
Regarding the team’s offensive adjustments, James explained, “I felt like the opportunity kind of presented itself in a way that if I felt like my two heavy hitters… didn’t have it or needed a little kick, then try to punch in from there.”
In the game, James drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:12 remaining to break a 105-all tie, then followed with a mid-range jumper to push the margin to 110-105. Luka Doncic contributed 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in his first game back from a two-game absence.
Los Angeles shot 48% from the field, outscoring Philadelphia 34-24 in the third quarter with key contributions from Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, who combined for 31 points. Ayton went a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points while Joel Embiid struggled with 16 points on 4-for-21 shooting. The 76ers fell to 13-10 as the Lakers limited turnovers to 10 and closed the game with a decisive 7-3 run.
Los Angeles will host San Antonio on Wednesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, while Philadelphia returns home Friday to face Indiana.
