LeBron James kicked off the Los Angeles Lakers’ defence of their in-season tournament title with a standout performance in a thrilling 120-115 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
James, 39, delivered his fourth consecutive triple-double, a career-first streak in his 22-season tenure.
He tallied 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists, playing a pivotal role in the Lakers’ group-stage win.
Despite the impressive stats, James was critical of his performance, saying he “played like s**t” and “was not in a good rhythm” after taking a season-low 12 shots and committing seven turnovers.
In his 1,504th regular-season game, James tied John Stockton for the fifth-most games played in NBA history and surpassed 57,000 career regular-season minutes.
He also recorded his 117th career triple-double, the fifth-highest total all-time.
Final 📊
AD: 40 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk
AR: 19 pts, 6 ast
Bron: 15 pts, 16 reb, 12 ast
Dalton: 14 pts
DLo: 13 pts, 6 ast, 3 stl
Max: 11 pts, 2 stl pic.twitter.com/WmuoxQx0R4— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 16, 2024
James also tied the Lakers’ franchise record for consecutive triple-doubles, matching the achievements of Russell Westbrook and Magic Johnson.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 40 points and 12 rebounds, while Austin Reaves (19 points), Dalton Knecht (14 points), D’Angelo Russell (13 points), and Max Christie (11 points) all contributed to the win.
James is averaging 9.6 assists this season, the second-highest mark of his career and third-best in the NBA, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Trae Young.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick credited James for setting the tone, particularly with his physicality on the boards.
He said: “As we continue to build out the offensive system, it’s very easy to get him and AD the ball in the right spots.”
