LOS ANGELES — Whether LeBron James, at 39, could still dominate a basketball game was never in question. Everyone just saw him do it during the Paris Olympics, where he won a gold medal and was named tournament MVP. The question was whether he could consistently do it over the course of the marathon 82-game NBA season.
Does three consecutive triple-doubles answer that question?
LeBron made history Wednesday night as the oldest player in NBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles — scoring 35 points while shooting 4-of-7 from 3, with 14 assists and 12 rebounds — and doing it at age 39, leading the Lakers to a win over the Grizzlies.
LeBron broke his own record — he had been the oldest player to record three consecutive triple-doubles at age 34. LeBron played down the accomplishment. Three straight triple-doubles ties the longest streak at any point in his career.
“I’m being very patient and taking what the defense gives me,” LeBron said. “I’ve been doing it for a while, so I understand the time and score. I understand the ways and the swings of a game, so nothing new to me.”
His coach, teammates and even his opponents were a little more effusive.
“He’s mastered the game, and we don’t win that game, obviously, without him,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.
“Man, that’s why he’s one of the greatest players to ever play this game,” the Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart said. “You’ve got to respect it and tip your cap. That’s not easy to do. Not everybody can do that. He’s still going and he’s not missing a beat.”
The Lakers need LeBron to take over like this — he remains the tone-setter for this team. Anthony Davis leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but he is more the closer, it’s LeBron who sets the table and has the Lakers flowing. When AD is off his game — as he was for three quarters Wednesday night — the Lakers can still thrive because LeBron gets everyone going. His Lakers teammates are trying to take some of that load off LeBron.
“We kind of rely on him a lot sometimes, but I think now we have a good system of helping each other kind of on the court, offensively, defensively,” Rui Hachimura said. “I think it’s a lot of the weight [and] pressure off him.”
Fortunately for the Lakers, there have been few nights LeBron has needed off so far this season.
“I’m just living in the moment,” LeBron said. “It feels good to be able to go out and play the game that I love at a high level still.”
