The Lakers’ bench delivered: Anthony (14 points) and Wayne Ellington (14 points) each hit shots that made a difference as the Lakers battled their way on top in the fourth. The lineups succeeded in part because they put James in position to call out plays and coverages. The Lakers wanted to close with that group, but they went to it early after battling back from multiple double-digit deficits. The Lakers made their rally with a group that Vogel had said would be “unlikely” just hours before the game, playing James and Carmelo Anthony as the forwards with three guards. “Eager to get back on the floor and happy to be back in the lineup with my guys tonight, and just tried to make some plays in the fourth quarter and overtime.” “Obviously I love the game of basketball and just having the game taken away from you, it’s frustration,” he said. That absence, combined with the 10 previous games he missed due to injury this season, inspired him to come up big. James said he thought he deserved to be ejected but not suspended for the first time in his 19-year career. Some of his closing fury was motivated by missing out on Tuesday’s prime-time tilt at Madison Square Garden – James’ favorite road venue – because he was serving a one-game suspension for his role in Sunday’s dust-up with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart. James took it home, making three of his five shots in the extra period, finishing with a raindrop fadeaway on Malcolm Brogdon, who led the Pacers with 28 points. When Indiana went cold, missing 11 consecutive field-goal attempts, the Lakers pounced and took their first lead with just 4:35 left in the fourth quarter on a Malik Monk 3-pointer. They had clawed to get it, down by as much as 12 points against a Pacers team that controlled much of the night but couldn’t punish the visitors with shooting. As it went in, the Lakers looked dumbfounded – their second win of this trip at least temporarily delayed and perhaps snatched away. The Pacer who sent the game into overtime was rookie Chris Duarte, who nailed an absurdly difficult attempt with Avery Bradley blanketing him as he jumped over the baseline, well past the backboard. “I wouldn’t like it if I were here coaching,” Vogel said, “but I understand it.”Īs good as James was, scoring 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime, the Lakers had to play an extra five minutes to ensure the win and keep their perfect 4-0 record in OT. Back in his old Indiana stomping grounds, Coach Frank Vogel marveled at how James had whipped them into a frenzy with what he called “a performance for the ages.” His celebrations alone – including a spicy variation of the Sam Cassell dance – sent the bench, and the Lakers-friendly road crowd, into hysterics. James’ 39 points delivered the struggling Lakers (10-10) a needed victory as they ended their five-game road trip without Anthony Davis in the lineup (fever), and his panache added flair to a team that has been lacking swagger and confidence. That wasn’t the last shot James made in his highest-scoring performance of the season, but it was all the Lakers needed in a 124-116 overtime victory.
I had the ball in my hands a lot, so I just tried to come on for them.” “I understand my teammates are going to be looking to me to make plays. LeBron James rallies Lakers past Pacers in OT with dazzling 39-point effort – Orange County Register