LeBron James provides solid backup by firing 21 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 104-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday in the NBA regular season.
SEAN GARDNER/agence france-presse
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WASHINGTON (AFP) — Anthony Davis had 31 points and 14 rebounds and LeBron James added 21 points to spark the Los Angeles Lakers over New Orleans 104-99 on Saturday.
The Lakers, who also got 27 points from rookie Dalton Knecht, stretched their National Basketball Association (NBA) win streak to five games and grabbed a share of third in the Western Conference at 9-4 despite James not managing a fifth consecutive triple double.
James finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Brandon Ingram had 32 points for the host Pelicans in a losing cause.
“Big time win,” James said. “We want all the wins we can get. We don’t have no time to feel out the first month or two. Every game is important. To get this win in a hostile environment was big for us.”
James made back-to-back 3-pointers, the last with 37 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 101-97 lead.
“It was about executing down the stretch and making big plays,” said James, who was emotional about his late heroics at age 39 in his 22nd season.
“Just living in the moment. Being able to still make plays and make big shots at this point in my career, that’s what you live for and you’ll never be able to get those moments back when you’re done.”
A layup by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl lifted the Pelicans within two but James and Knecht sank free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.
“He was spectacular,” James said of Knecht, the 17th pick in this year’s NBA Draft. “We needed every shot he made. He came through big time for us.”
At Toronto, Jayson Tatum sank a 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Boston Celtics a 126-123 overtime victory over the Raptors.
“I had to make a play,” said Tatum, who went only 7-of-19 from the floor but was 5-of-12 from 3-point range.
“I missed so many shots in the second half I was bound to hit one.”
Tatum said he takes direction from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to have an impact every night, even if it is not always in the same manner.
“Joe always challenges me to dominate, however that looks on any given night. Shots aren’t always going to fall but are you impacting the game, are you impacting your teammates? That’s just what I try to do.”
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points while Tatum just missed a triple double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Austrian center Jakob Poeltl led Toronto with an NBA career-high 35 points.
