LeBron James Explodes for 51 Points as Lakers Cruise Past Heat
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 113-97 on Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.
LeBron James earned his first win in Miami since leaving the Heat in 2014, scoring 51 points and collecting eight rebounds. It's the 12th 50-point scoring game of LeBron's legendary career. Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver noted that's the most among active players.
Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came off the bench to score 19 points. Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds as well for Los Angeles.
Wayne Ellington (19 points) was Miami's leading scorer, with Josh Richardson scoring 17 before his ejection in the fourth quarter.
LeBron's Huge Night Reminds Rest of NBA He's Still Best Player in the World
This is the first year one could make a strong argument Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry is close to usurping James as the NBA's pre-eminent talent—if not already there. Then LeBron drops 51 points on his old team.
This wasn't the kind of performance in which James needed to overexert himself either. He played 38 minutes and attempted 31 shots, both of which aren't that high by his standards.
At 33 years old and with 1,397 career games under his belt, James will have stretches in which he doesn't get out of second gear.
Right now, his priorities should be saving himself for the stretch run of the regular season and letting the Lakers' younger players take their lumps and learn—the latter of which he did when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But don't for a second question how good James can be when he's dialed in.
Granted, the Lakers' fortunes this season will likely highlight how they can't be a one-man show—even with James running things—and contend for a title. That formula was good enough for the Cavs in the weaker Eastern Conference; it's going to be less successful in the Western Conference.
If nothing else, Sunday's performance signals to potential free agents next summer that James has plenty left in the tank.
Heat's Lack of Star Power Will Sink Them Once Again
For Miami, Sunday's game was another reminder how the Heat have yet to fill the void James left when he re-signed with the Cavs in 2014.
The 2018-19 season will likely end much as the last four years have; Miami will fight for a bottom-four playoff seed and struggle to get out of the first round should it reach the postseason.
Goran Dragic has been battling a knee injury, which has left the Heat without one of their best players. Even with a healthy Dragic, though, Miami's playoff ceiling wouldn't change much.
Perhaps it's simplistic to say LeBron is the difference between Miami and Los Angeles. It looks that way nonetheless.
Following an underwhelming 2-5 start, the Lakers turned to James to right the ship.
The Heat, on the other hand, don't have that same luxury as head coach Erik Spoelstra tries to respond to a fifth defeat in his team's last six games. There's only so much Spoelstra can do with a roster built around Dragic, Richardson, Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Rodney McGruder and Tyler Johnson.
Whiteside in particular is a burden for Miami. He shot 2-of-9 from the field, with his .494 field-goal percentage on pace to be his worst since returning to the NBA in 2014-15.
One could question whether acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves ultimately would've changed much for the Heat. He would've provided a different dimension to Miami's offense and been a star who could've attempted to match James shot for shot Sunday.
Until the Heat are willing to embrace a complete rebuild or land a marquee free agent, they'll continue to tread water in the East.
What's Next?
The Lakers head to Cleveland on Wednesday for a reunion between James and the Cavaliers. The Heat stay at home Tuesday for a matchup with the Brooklyn Nets.
