"Tuck the kids to bed": LA Lakers fans go berserk as LeBron James' clinical 40-piece leads team to skid-ending win over OKC
LeBron James led the LA Lakers to a 129-120 road victory over the OKC Thunder on Saturday, propelling the In-Season Tournament champions with a 40-point performance. This win was only the Lakers' second in six games after the In-Season Tournament final. Winless in the last four games, they have now improved to 16-14 on the season, while the Thunder dropped to an 18-9 record.
LeBron James shot perfectly from 3-point range (5/5) and the charity stripe (9/9) to notch his season-high in scoring. He also had seven assists and seven rebounds.
Fans of the Purple and Gold went crazy after LeBron James’ performance, with one saying the 38–year–old forward tucked the OKC "kids to bed." The Thunder are the second-youngest team this season with an average age of 24.12.
LeBron James turns 39 on Dec. 30.
One fan called for the Lakers to stick with “Point LeBron.” James was the starting point guard for the Lakers as they relegated D’Angelo Russell to the bench and had a starting lineup featuring Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish.
Davis was also dominant in scoring and rebounding, achieving a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds. Rui Hachimura delivered an impressive performance off the bench, contributing 21 points.
Russell added 15 points, Austin Reaves chipped in with 11 points and Prince rounded out the Lakers' double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the lead for the Thunder with a 34-point performance, while Jalen Williams closely followed with 28 points. Chet Holmgren also made a significant impact with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
How many 40-point games does LeBron James have in his career?
While LeBron James is renowned as the highest scorer in NBA history, his playmaking skills stand out as his defining trait.
However, his offensive outbursts should not be overlooked, as evidenced by his performance on Saturday. This was the 75th time he scored 40 points in the regular season. In the playoffs, he has 29 games played with 40+ points.
On his most prolific scoring night, James put up 61 points as a member of the Miami Heat. He spearheaded a Heat victory in March 2014 with an impressive 22-for-33 shooting from the field, 8-for-10 from beyond the arc and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line in a commanding 127-104 win over the Bobcats.
LeBron has scored 50 points in the regular season 14 times. LeBron's playoff career-high is a 51-point outburst in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.