In his 21st NBA season, LeBron James has now accumulated 40,474 regular season points, 11,185 rebounds, and after putting up a season-high 17 dimes in the Lakers‘ 124-108 win vs. the Pelicans on Sunday, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer now has 11,009 assists (4th all-time) for his career.
Being a part of the 40k/11k/11k club, LeBron adds to the disparity of his greatness, as he previously was the only player in NBA history who had put up 30k,10k,10k. At 39 years old, the four-time MVP finished the season averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists with 54% FG shooting, and a career-best 41.3% shooting from beyond the 3-PT line.
LeBron had 28 points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists, and five steals in a win, as the Lakers now will secure the No. 8 seed play-in spot in the Western Conference.
“Good win for us to finish out the season,” James said after recording his 112th career triple-double. “I always feel like I need to try to make an impact on the game every time I step out on the floor. Best thing for me is I have teammates that depend on me, count on me, and trust me to make plays. And I just try to deliver for them every night.”
To point out, the Pelicans came out flat in a game that had seeding implications, for they were competing for an opportunity to avoid the play-in, by having a chance at the sixth seed with a win. To note, CJ McCollum had a team-high 25 points, but the game never really stayed close as Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson were held to a combined 25 points. Reminiscent of the In-Season Tournament game between both teams (Lakers-133 Pelicans-89), the Pelicans trailed by as much as 32 points (91-59), after a D’Angelo Russell (19 points) three-pointer at the seven-minute mark in the third quarter. As a result of this loss, the Pelicans will play the Lakers again on April 16th in New Orleans, with the winner securing the seventh seed for the playoffs.
James’ counterpart Anthony Davis had a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, but left the game late with apparent back and hip spasms. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Davis’ injury came about as a result of an awkward landing from a push by Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr.
Darvin Ham was asked after the game about Davis’ injury, “They are looking at him right now, believe it was just a spasm. Nothing you know major.” The Lakers’ coach responded to reporters that his status is “extremely optimistic” heading into their next play-in game.
The Lakers vs. Pelicans rematch will take place on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 pm ET (TNT), while the ninth-seeded Kings will face off with the 10th-seeded Warriors at 10:30 ET (TNT). The loser of the Lakers/Pelicans game will then play against the winner of the Kings/Warriors game on Friday, April 19 to decide who will secure the final seed for the NBA West playoffs.
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