Almost three hours later, the play was fresh in coach JJ Redick’s mind. How the Lakers started their win over the Chicago Bulls felt like the blueprint for success.
The Lakers ran a movement set on the opening play Thursday, and using a screen from Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic found LeBron James in the corner. Ayton rolled toward the basket. James then made the extra pass. Austin Reaves splashed a three.
Working in perfect unison, the Lakers showed every component they spent the season searching for: Doncic powering the offense, Reaves finishing it, Ayton’s motor and, at the center, James’ selflessness.
With one month left of the regular season, James is prepared to continue sacrificing for the Lakers if it means they can get closer to contending in a crowded Western Conference playoff race.
“I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual,” James said after he scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists against the Bulls in his first game back from a three-game absence. “But what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to what’s important for this team. And that’s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
The Lakers (41-25) have won seven of their last eight games, climbing from sixth in the West to third before Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. game against Denver (41-26) at Crypto.com Arena. The critical conference game will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams that are separated by half a game in the standings.
During the week since their last loss to the Nuggets on March 5, the Lakers have reasserted themselves into the postseason conversation despite not having James. He injured his elbow and hip late in the Denver loss on a hard fall. But the Lakers didn’t appear to miss the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
They started this five-game homestand with three convincing wins without James, including two of their most significant of the season. Consecutive wins over New York and Minnesota, teams with records above .600, made the Lakers look like they were peaking at the right time.
Fitting James, Reaves and Doncic on the court together this season hasn’t been seamless. The Lakers are 12-7 in games the three play together. They’re 22-9 in games with only Reaves and Doncic.
Doncic, who scored 51 points Thursday, leads the NBA in scoring at 32.9 points per game and, despite a calf injury that sidelined him for more than a month, Reaves is in the midst of a career season with 23.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. James, averaging 21.4 points and seven assists, has a career-low usage rate.
Lakers forward LeBron James, top, hangs onto the rim as he dunks the ball over three Bulls defenders.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
While James was sidelined over the last week, he and Redick further discussed the approach necessary for the team to continue its recent success when he returned.
“He understands how important it is for Luka and AR to have time on the ball,” Redick said. “The realistic thing is that when they’re on the court together, that’s going to take away time on the ball from him.”
James didn’t take a shot in the first quarter against the Bulls. He didn’t score his first points until 54 seconds left in the second quarter. But he had three assists in the first half before he and Doncic combined for 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the third quarter. James was a perfect five for five from the field during the third quarter, then Reaves took over in the fourth, scoring 13 of his 30 points in the final quarter to eclipse 5,000 points for his career.
The trio was plus-25 together on the court against the Bulls, tied with Doncic, Reaves and Rui Hachimura for the best plus-minus rating of any three-man combination in the game.
“He’s one of the smartest guys to ever play the game of basketball,” Reaves said of James. “So his ability to adapt and to figure out what the game needs is second to none. … When you’ve got a player of that stature who’s willing to play the way the game needs him to play, it just shows how selfless he is.”
The Lakers needed all of James’ versatility with backup big men Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumber back strain) sidelined. Hayes got imaging on his back Thursday, but Redick did not have the results before the game. Redick expects Kleber to “be out for a little bit” after a previous back injury flared up again. Guard Marcus Smart, who missed Thursday’s game because of a hip injury that was lingering for several games, could return Saturday, Redick said.
James recognized he would have to set more screens, be more active on the glass and roll toward the basket more with the shorthanded frontcourt. Smart’s tenacity was a key ingredient to the defensive effort that locked down the Knicks and Timberwolves, and James, revered by coaches and teammates for his defensive communication, stepped up to anchor the defense too.
He and Doncic each had one block against the Bulls and combined for five of the Lakers’ nine steals.
“Greatness fits in with anything,” Ayton said. “That’s LeBron James.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: latimes.com
