This is 41.
On the same night he tied Robert Parish for the NBA record in regular-season games played, ageless wonder LeBron James had a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Thursday’s 134-126 win over the Miami Heat. The 41-year-old playing in his 1,611th game helped the Lakers (45-25) win their season-best eighth consecutive game while star guard Luka Doncic poured in a season-best 60 points, including 20 points in the final quarter.
James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, besting the mark he set last month.
“He’s a psycho,” coach JJ Redick said with affection, awe and respect.
Read more:Luka Doncic (40 points) and LeBron James (30) lead Lakers to win over Rockets
James, Doncic and guard Austin Reaves were all questionable to play in their second game in as many nights. Doncic was dealing with right hip soreness and Reaves was battling a right forearm contusion after Wednesday’s physical win over Houston. James, who took a hard spill in the fourth quarter and banged his right elbow, was officially nursing left foot arthritis. Earlier this season, James characterized his ailments as being simply “old.”
But before Redick could even check on the status of his stars Thursday afternoon, he learned they already decided on their availability. The players huddled in the locker room after Wednesday’s game before the coaches entered and decided they would all play against Miami (38-32).
“When he said he was playing, I was like, I can't let a 41-year-old play and I not play,” said Reaves, who battled through a bruise on his shooting wrist to finish with 18 points. “So [I] signed up to play and so did Luka and we went and grinded the win out.”
Doncic, one night after scoring 40 points with 10 assists, was showered with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter as he became the ninth Laker with multiple 50-point performances in a single-season. He scored 51 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls on March 12.
Following the 8:30 p.m. local tip in Houston, the Lakers didn’t land in Miami until past 4 a.m. Players didn’t get to their hotel rooms until 5:10 a.m.
The Lakers looked like it early on, too. They sleep-walked through the first minutes of the game, falling behind 9-0. They didn’t get their first basket until the 8:59 mark of the first quarter.
Of course it was a dunk from James.
“Just wanted to come in and see how the body felt after some of the routine things that I do and the treatments things that I do,” James said. “And decided to give it a go. We all decided to give it a go. So that's a big, gritty win for us on the road, especially under circumstances."
Instead of the physical toll of playing two games in consecutive days in different time zones, James was more focused on locking in mentally. His meticulous pregame routine took years to develop and takes hours to complete. Teammates a decade younger than him have never beaten him to the arena on game days.
But they still try to keep up.
“You see this guy who has done everything in this league, accomplished everything, he's still coming out here every day with that professional attitude and not taking anything for granted,” said 32-year-old guard Marcus Smart, who played 27 minutes and 31 seconds with 13 points one night after 34 minutes in Houston. “It forces you to do the same.”
With many of his teammates struggling early, James made his first seven shots from the field, a perfect shooting streak that lasted into the fourth quarter. Redick approached the Lakers bench during their groggy start and tried to sympathize with his players, saying he knew they were tired.
“Bron was like, ‘I’m not tired,’” Reaves said. “So I was like, ‘I'm not tired either.’ So yeah, follow the leader.”
In his record 23rd NBA season, James is helping the Lakers play their best at the most important time of the year by taking on a new role. Since returning from a three-game injury absence, James has ceded more control of the offense to Doncic and Reaves. He has not relinquished any impact on the game, averaging 20.4 points over the last five games while shooting 64.6% from the field.
James has missed only five shots in the last two games, including a 13-for-14 effort against Houston on Wednesday. It came 13 years since his last 13-for-14 shooting performance, which happened with the Heat in 2013. The coach of that team, Erik Spoelstra, can only marvel.
"He's not only competing against the entire league but also Father Time,” Spoelstra said. “And he's giving Father Time hell."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
