LeBron James Overcomes Painful Shin Injury to Lead Lakers to Victory Over Suns
LeBron James grimaced as he hobbled back to the locker room with a slight limp, but he wasn't going to let a painful shin injury stop him from leading the Lakers to victory.
James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in a 122-119 win over the Suns, overcoming Kevin Durant's 38-point performance.
James and Durant engaged in an epic duel, but it was James who came out on top in the end. He found Cam Reddish in the corner for an open 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a 118-113 lead with 1:10 left, and Phoenix couldn't overcome the deficit.
James also had to shake off an unintentional blow to the shin from Durant in the first quarter, but he refused to let it slow him down. He continued to play at a high level throughout the game, and his performance was ultimately the difference in the outcome.
LeBron James overcame a painful shin injury to lead the Lakers to a 122-119 victory over the Suns on Friday night, snapping a three-game losing streak. James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, and he was instrumental in the Lakers' comeback in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers made 12 of 27 3-point shots and outscored the Suns 33-23 in the fourth quarter. LeBron James hit Cam Reddish for a corner 3-pointer with 1:10 left to push the Lakers up five points, and they held on for the win.
The win was a much-needed one for the Lakers, who had been struggling on the road trip. Coach Darvin Ham made a lineup change, starting Cam Reddish and bringing Austin Reaves off the bench for the first time this season. The move paid off, as Reddish finished with 17 points and Reaves had 15 points and seven assists.
At the end of the night, James also managed to get in a little dig at rival Michigan and football coach Jim Harbaugh when asked about Phoenix's defense.
LeBron James Jabs at Michigan and Jim Harbaugh for Sign Stealing, Says Lakers Were Able to Steal Signals Without Getting Suspended
LeBron James couldn't resist taking a jab at Michigan and Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended for the rest of the regular season by the Big Ten Conference for his role in the school's sign-stealing scandal.
When asked about playing against Phoenix's defense, James said, "I think us having a knowledge of Coach [Frank] Vogel and his coaching staff was key. We know that he's going to switch defenses up and he has a lot of defensive packages, a lot of schemes.
So just about trying to read the game and see at what point, what the first quarter, second quarter, third, fourth, what are they in? We've got some history with Coach Frank, so we able to kind of have that blueprint and be able to steal some signals as well.
"So that was key to our success and the best thing about tonight is that we were able to get those signals in [and] we still [are] able to play on Sunday. We don't get suspended like that team up North."
