Lakers News: LeBron James Sheds Light On Availability For Second Night Of Spurs Back-To-Back
Los Angeles Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James enjoyed a solid return game last night for L.A.
After missing five games with a left adductor strain, the four-time MVP was back in the saddle against the San Antonio Spurs.
James went 8-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line for a total of 21 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds, dished out five dimes, snagged three steals, and made a block.
He certainly looked like his athletic self for this fast break dunk:
He and co-star Anthony Davis each notched +16 plus-minuses, bested only by the +18 registered by starting shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV, the team's third-leading scorer.
The 6'9" All-Star is averaging 24.5 points on fairly pedestrian .458/.240/.692 shooting splits. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is also averaging 8.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks a night. These are all fairly robust numbers, but his shooting and defense seem to have declined significantly.
In an interesting note, both Walker and James somehow got more opportunities from the floor (17 for James, 16 for Walker) than Davis last night, despite the latter being on the hot streak of his life right now. Davis took "just" 13 shots, nailing 10 (76.9% field goal shooting), and converted five of his seven free-throw attempts, finishing with 25 points, plus 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.
So will King James be back on the hardwood tonight at the AT&T Center, as the 6-11 Lakers go for their second straight victory against the tanking young Spurs -- and third overall this season?
Marc Stein reports that James indicated there is a "strong possibility" he returns tonight for the second game in a back-to-back set against San Antonio. Given James's age and mileage, and the fact that a LeBron James-less Lakers team easily vanquished the Spurs last weekend, one wonders if this is even necessary. The Spurs often opted to rest veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili on back-to-back games as they aged, in the hopes of reducing the wear and tear on their bodies while playing for a deep postseason run.
