Los Angeles Lakers talisman LeBron James is well known to be a team man. He is standing on the doors of the biggest milestone in NBA history but he is more focused on winning for the Lakers than reaching his personal feat.
James is now only 36 points away from leapfrogging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most points (38387) in NBA history. The linchpin scored 27 points against the Pelicans but his efforts went in vain as they lost 131-127 on Saturday night. Anthony Davis top-scored with 34 points for the Lakers but the Pelicans had the last laugh.
“I just want to win,” James said as quoted by AP. “You know, you play the game the right way and see what happens.”
“I’m tired as hell,” James said, but added, “I’ll be ready to go on Tuesday,” when the Lakers play next.
With this win, the Pelicans were able to end their 10 games losing streak. Brandon Ingram was the star of the show for them as he top-scored with 35 points.
Pelicans coach Willie Green was delighted with the performance of his team and feels every player played with confidence.
“We just continued to attack across the board,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “Every guy on our team that touched the floor came in and played with force and played with confidence. That is what is going to take for us to get over the hump.”
Furthermore, Davis had 14 rebounds for the Lakers. Darvin Ham’s team led by 12 when James’ finger role made it 84-72 in the third quarter. However, the Pelicans were able to bounce back into the game in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers will next face Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.