Midway through the first quarter Wednesday night, LeBron James checked out against the Sacramento Kings, walking to the bench in the city where he played his first NBA regular season more than 21 years ago.
It would be his last trip off the court before making another major breakthrough. By the time his next shift ended in the second quarter, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most minutes logged in the regular season, breaking the previous record of 57,446 minutes.
“I just think it’s just a commitment to the craft and to the love and passion that I have for the game,” James said of his accomplishment — one that has spent more than 957 hours playing in basketball games. .
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However, after all that time, James was capable of making winning plays – the chase-down block, key defensive stop and bully-knife all played a role in helping the Lakers defeat the Kings. 113-100.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 25 points and James had 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He finished the game at 57,471 minutes of action after playing 34 minutes.
“I’ve been able to do this at a high level for over two years,” James said. “And to continue to put myself in the record books in this basketball game that I love so much and in the best league in the world is great and it’s very humbling.”
Despite the slow shooting night, Anthony Davis dominated with 21 points, four assists and season highs of 18 rebounds and six blocked shots. Davis also had three steals.
“It was amazing tonight,” coach JJ Redick said. “And it just shows you how elite he is as a player that he can have a 7-for-20 night and still dominate a basketball game.”
The minutes record comes at a time when the Lakers and James have been very out of touch with how much he has (and hasn’t) played. James missed two games and spent a week on the sidelines, having to make mental and physical adjustments after his left foot began to bother him.
He returned on Sunday against Memphis and was noticeably more powerful on both ends of the court. Redick said the team could find other opportunities to give the soon-to-be 40-year-old more rest.
Speaking before the game, James said, more than ever, he could be open to that.
“I’m not a person who likes to sit out games if I have a few. It doesn’t matter. It’s just, it’s not my thing at all,” James said when asked about it. “If there is an opportunity where it can benefit myself and benefit my game in the long term for the betterment of the team, then I am always there to have that conversation. So we’ll see what happens. “
The Lakers, who have a three-day break since their last game, have a lot of energy, using it against the Kings to storm to a 14-point first start on the backs of a much improved defense.
With the Kings defending the turnover, the Lakers were able to create tons of open looks from the perimeter, making three threes in the first quarter alone.
The game tightened in the second, the Kings took the lead before the Lakers’ best players took control.
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Reaves gets to the line and hits big shots. Davis out-gunned Domantas Sabonis, a player who has now bested two games in a row. And James controls the game without controlling the flow. Gabe Vincent, who has struggled to shoot the ball since joining the Lakers, hit four threes.
But it was defense where the Lakers continued to play their best basketball, holding an opponent to 100 or more points for the third time in four games.
“I really think this might be my favorite win that we’ve had all season because we weren’t very good offensively,” Redick said. “But because of our crash, because we limited them in change, limited them to a shot – like all the things that we preached that you give yourself a chance to win every night if you have a night that you shoot and kill . -angry night – we do it tonight. “
James said he didn’t think about what his success meant for the future, even for Saturday’s matchup with the Kings in Sacramento.
“I just set the whole time (record) in minutes,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not thinking about this next game yet. I’m about to get in this room, drink some wine, play some Madden and chill the f— out.”
Soon there will be another game and more minutes to play, and whatever works, well, it’s worked.
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This story appeared first Los Angeles Times.