The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak on Saturday night, beating the Golden State Warriors 124-116. The team wouldn’t have had a prayer against the Warriors without the talents of LeBron James lifting them up, something that is always the case for the Lakers.
However, Saturday was an all-time game for the 19-year veteran, as he dropped 56 points. He became the fourth ever player in NBA history to do so at the age of 37 or later, joining Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.
Check out the highlights of the performance below!
After the game, LeBron had the following to say when ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked him to describe his and the team’s game overall:
Desperation. A four-game losing streak. Obviously, our season has been up-and-down. I would say desperation and inspiring. We played inspired basketball against a good team… we needed this win for sure.
Head coach Frank Vogel never misses an opportunity to glowingly praise LeBron after one of these types of performances, continuing that trend on Saturday night when asked about LeBron’s game which marked a career-high for him in the purple-and-gold (quote reported by Clutch Points’ Michael Corvo):
“An incredible performance by the best to ever do it…It’s just remarkable, his will…What he’s done to transition his game at this stage of his career, in terms of his shooting. It’s just an example for every player to put the work into his craft.”
This isn’t the first time that Carmelo Anthony has watched his close friend dominate. However, this is the first time he’s got to see it while being his teammate. Still, Carmelo seemingly has run out of words to describe this greatness we’re seeing. An understandable issue as we’ve been seeing these types of performances for 19 seasons now.
Carmelo Anthony on LeBron’s 56-point night: “He was phenomenal … he just put us on his back tonight. What else can I say about it.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 6, 2022
To close this out, here are some quick notes on LeBron’s 56-point performance as well as some other reactions from around the league:
- LeBron’s full stat line: 56 points (19/31 on FGs. 6/11 on 3-point FGs, 12/13 on FTs), 10 rebounds, and 3 assists
- Third highest amount of points in a game in LeBron’s career. It was the 13th game where he’s scored 50+.
- Career-high as a Laker. Not the first 50+ point game though in the purple-and-gold. He scored 51 in the 2018-19 season while visiting his old stomping grounds in Miami while playing the Heat.
- As previously stated, LeBron joins Crawford, Bryant, and Jordan as the only players 37 years or older to score 50+. LeBron scored more than Jordan and Crawford in their respective games, but Kobe still holds the record for most points in a game at that type of age with his 60-point performance that came in the final game of his career.
LeBron!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤯
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) March 6, 2022
And Bron had 56 …yeeesh
— Alex Caruso (@ACFresh21) March 6, 2022
Long live The King.
