LeBron James erupted for a season-high 51 points Sunday night in Miami, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-97 win against the Heat.
Teammate Kyle Kuzma says James—who shot 19 for 31 from the field, and also grabbed eight rebounds—“could probably average 40 if he wanted to.”
LeBron James passed the half-century mark, scoring 32 points more than anyone else on the floor.
“Just give him the ball and get out of the way. … He could probably average 40 if he wanted to." — Kyle Kuzmahttps://t.co/nym3uWe9A9
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 19, 2018
Sitting on 48 points with time running out and the outcome no longer in doubt, LeBron gladly accepted Lance Stephenson‘s dare to shoot a three-pointer in order to reach the half-century mark.
.@KingJames talks with @miketrudell after erupting for 51 pts against Miami. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/4D1bFTZ3gU
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 19, 2018
Per the AP:
“I bet you won’t go for the 3,” Stephenson said.
The Heat probably wish that conversation never took place. James’ capped his 51-point night with a 32-foot 3-pointer in the final seconds, pointed at Stephenson to let him know he was wrong, and the Lakers rolled past the Heat 113-97 for their seventh win in their last nine games.
James reached 50 for the 13th time in his career, including Game 1 of last season’s NBA Finals.
“It’s always great to be here,” said James, who hugged a slew of familiar faces in the arena he used to call home. “We had some not-so-good times, we had more great times, so it’s always a respect factor and a love for the people in Miami and especially the people who work here.”
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Kyle Kuzma Says LeBron James ‘Can Score With the Best of Them’
