LeBron Scores 46 As Lakers Stay Undefeated On The Road

On Monday night, LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 115-108 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his home state of Ohio. This marked James’ first game back in his home state of Ohio in more than two years.

“Home cooking,” said James to ESPN, who received a meal made by his mom, Gloria. “It felt good to be back in my haven.”

Throughout the game, James scored a total of 46 points. He dropped 21 of those points in the fourth quarter. The win for Los Angeles came on the eve of the first anniversary of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash that led to his tragic, sudden death.

James’s takeover in the fourth quarter resembled Kobe’s character and how he would play the game. This outburst was also fueled by a comment made by a Cleveland Cavaliers front office member after he missed a three-pointer right before the fourth quarter began.

“I felt he was a little too excited about seeing me miss,” James said. “I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter is my favorite. It’s a good thing for him I only come here once.”

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In the last 12 minutes of the game, James converted 9 out of the 10 shots he attempted. Another player who came through in the clutch was Anthony Davis. Davis, 27, added 17 points as the team’s record away from home improved to 10-0.

“When he’s playing like that, it’s fun to watch,” Davis said about his teammate, James. “When he had what 19, 17 in the first? It’s over. … He wasn’t missing. He was everywhere on the floor.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there were only 2,000 fans inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, formerly known as Quicken Loans Arena. When James was a member of the Cavs (his second stint with the team), he led Cleveland to the 2016 NBA championship and ended a 52-year title drought for the city.

This game marked James’ second return to Cleveland since he left the Cavs for the second time as a free agent following the 2018 season. James would have returned to his home state last year, but the game was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Article by Mia Perlman