LeBron James joins elite Lakers company with 20-point double-double

The Los Angeles Lakers got humiliated on their home floor in Game 1 of the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they responded quickly in Game 2. LeBron James and company jumped out to a 19-point lead at the end of the first quarter and coasted to a 94-85 win to even the series at 1-1 heading back to Minnesota.

LeBron James hasn’t quite played his best basketball in either of the first two games, but he still put up some gaudy numbers in the Lakers’ Game 2 win. He finished the night with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists on 8-for-19 shooting.

With yet another 20-point double-double, LeBron now has the third-most such games in Lakers playoff history. Only Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson have more, according to StatMuse.

James did that despite not scoring as efficiently from the floor as he usually does. He shot below 50% from the field and connected just once on five attempts from 3-point range, both of which are well below his usual standard. On top of that, James has missed some chances right around the basket in this series.

Regardless, James still impacted the game in multiple ways, and now the Lakers can feel good about being tied in a 1-1 series against a very good team despite not getting the best versions of James and Austin Reaves so far in the series.

The man that the Lakers have relied on for their offense in this series is Luka Doncic. The Slovenian superstar has carved up the Timberwolves’ defense, scoring 68 points in the first two games of the playoffs including a 31-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist showing in Game 2.

James and company have their work cut out for them coming into Game 3 and beyond against a hungry Minnesota squad that has a superstar of its own in Anthony Edwards. Los Angeles does have two more days off before Friday’s Game 3, which will be good for the 40-year-old James after playing 40 minutes in Game 2.

If the Lakers want to move on to the next round and make a push for the championship, they will need more all-around performances from James like he gave them on Tuesday night.