2023-12-06 09:16:12
LOS ANGELES – LeBron James has hailed the success of the inaugural National Basketball Association (NBA) in-season tournament so far, saying that it provides the thrills and spills that both players and fans enjoy.
On Dec 5, the superstar forward scored 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers won a gripping 106-103 home duel with the Phoenix Suns to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.
James produced a trademark clutch fourth-quarter performance with 15 points in a victory that sends the Lakers into a last-four showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas on Dec 7.
In the other quarter-final, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 63 points as the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the other semi-final to face the Indiana Pacers with a 146-122 rout of the New York Knicks.
But the game of the night was unquestionably in Los Angeles, where James and the Lakers held off a ferocious second-half fightback from Kevin Durant and the Suns to prevail in a classic.
“You’ve got some of the most alpha male competitors in the world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful or an incentive, then you get what you’re getting,” said James, who also had 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals.
“The in-season tournament is what it is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national television, represent our families, our communities, where we come from.”
The Lakers dominated the first half to lead by 12 at the break, when they were up 59-47.
But the Suns roared back in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 35-24 to make it a one-point game heading into the fourth period. The 38-year-old James, though, was in no mood to surrender victory and found his scoring touch to shepherd the Lakers over the line at Crypto.com Arena.
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