The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of a first-round sweep. A stunning overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night pushed Los Angeles to a 3-0 series lead, completing a comeback that had no business happening. Down six with 30 seconds left, LeBron James and Marcus Smart combined to force two turnovers and score six points in the final half-minute of regulation to force overtime. The Rockets never recovered.
James finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals across 45 minutes of action. He is 41 years old and in his 23rd NBA season. The numbers do not get easier to process with time.
After the game, he addressed exactly how he does it.
LeBron Opens Up About Playing 45 Minutes in Game 3
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The question is a fair one. How does a 41-year-old sustain that level of play deep into a playoff game, in overtime, after carrying the offensive load for most of the night? James did not dress it up. He acknowledged that the Lakers look for moments throughout games to give him a breather, but when the game is tight enough that every possession matters, those breaks disappear.
His answer was straightforward: “I gotta dig deep, or deeper, in order for us to win.” He added that with no game the following day, rest was waiting for him on the other side. In the moment, that was enough motivation to keep going.
It is the kind of mindset that has defined James for two decades. The circumstances change, the age climbs, and the body takes longer to recover. The mentality has not moved.
The Bronny Moment That Stood Out
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James.
The game had no shortage of highlights, but one play in the second quarter carried a different kind of weight. James hit Bronny James with a perfectly timed lob on a backdoor cut, and Bronny reversed it home in stride. Father and son, perfectly in sync, in a playoff game.
James called it exactly what it was afterward. A special moment. Bronny also knocked down a three-pointer when the Rockets tried to go under a pick-and-roll, giving the Lakers a lift off the bench that went beyond the lob play.
James was generous in his postgame praise, making clear that Bronny was not the only one who contributed. Everyone who played gave the Lakers something. But that particular play stood apart.
Final Word for the Lakers
Los Angeles is one win away from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, where the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns series awaits. Game 4 is Sunday in Houston.
James has now played 45 minutes in a playoff overtime game at 41 and come out the other side with a near triple-double. The questions about what he has left feel increasingly difficult to justify.
He dug deep. It worked. Sunday, he gets to rest.
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