How Did LeBron Do in Injury Return? Stats, Reaction to Historic Lakers Season Debut

LeBron James dropped 11 points in his season debut as the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed a 140-125 win over the Utah Jazz at home on Tuesday.

James has been rehabilitating sciatica on his right side, ramping up for his Lakers debut by spending time with the South Bay Lakers. He returned to full 5-on-5 practice with Los Angeles as recently as Monday, his first session since the Lakers' first-round playoff exit, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania.

He added 12 assists, three rebounds and a steal on 4-of-7 shooting from the field in his historic 23rd NBA season at 40 years old. 

Doncic added 37 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, shooting 11-of-22 from the field in James' return. 

Fans celebrated the Lakers' win, highlighting James' historic return to the court.

With the win, the Lakers improved to 11-4, stretching to a three-game win streak. The Jazz fell to 5-9 behind 31 points, two assists and five rebounds from Lauri Markkanen while Ace Bailey added 13 points. 

The Jazz held a four-point lead over the Lakers at halftime, led by 20 points from Doncic while James finished with seven and Austin Reaves added 14. Utah's Markkanen entered the break with 22 points, Keyonte George added 23. 

The Lakers exploded in the fourth quarter, blowing the game wide open to seal a 15-point victory.

The Lakers will hit the road Sunday to face Utah in the second game of a back-to-back series.