LeBron James played through knee soreness Friday night, helping the Los Angeles Lakers edge the LA Clippers 125-122 at Crypto.com Arena.
“If I’m a player, I got to make something happen, be productive for our team, and do what I can do,” James said when asked about managing his knee discomfort. “It happened at practice yesterday during our scrimmage. Went up for a dunk, came down pretty good. A couple minutes into the scrimmage after that it started getting a little sore and started getting a little tight.”
The 38-year-old veteran praised his team’s defensive efforts as a deciding factor. “We got a couple more stops. Both teams shot really well, but we were able to get a couple stops. Obviously, Luka was phenomenal offensively and we just needed to get that one in.”
James also reflected on his personal discipline. “When I was healing from sciatica, I gave up cookies and wine. It’s just part of my makeup to know that I can lock out things and lock in. Being able to take things out that I love helped me give my body the best possible chance to recover.”
On chemistry with his teammates, James emphasized every opportunity to play together matters. “Every game, every second, every minute that we on the floor together, it helps. Tonight was the first game JJ and the coaching staff could look down and know everybody was available. We just have to keep pushing.”
He highlighted the importance of ball movement in the Lakers’ 41-point first quarter. “When we sharing the ball, when we moving the ball, we have 25 plus assists in the game. We want everybody to feel involved. Smart stayed ready, didn’t shoot the ball at all pretty much through the first three quarters and then in the fourth hit big time shots for us.”
James described his alley-oop connection with Deandre Ayton as instinctual. “AR was able to kick it up to me. I’m just reading the play before it happens. Before I even received the ball, I looked over at Brook, saw a little attention, and knew as soon as I caught it, it was going straight in air to DA and he brought it home for us.”
He also praised Kawhi Leonard’s resilience. “He’s the best. He’s one of the best players ever. I can care less about the injuries. Those things you can’t control. What he’s been controlling is how he comes back and his perseverance every single time. That guy’s awesome. I have nothing but great things to say about him.”
James finished with 13 points and 11 assists, guiding the Lakers to a season-series split against the Clippers. Los Angeles improves to 34-21, while the Clippers drop to 27-28. The Lakers will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday, with Los Angeles aiming to maintain momentum in the Western Conference playoff race.
