A 39-year-old LeBron James took over after Anthony Davis went out with an eye injury to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-103 rout of the Toronto Raptors.
The Lakers remain undefeated at home with James becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record second straight triple-double after tormenting the Raptors with 19 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high 16 assists.
“Well, I don’t have a choice,” James told Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell after the team’s sixth win in 10 starts. “If AD goes down, I have to put more responsibility on my shoulders and try to make plays to help my team win.”
In his postgame interview in his locker, James hinted that his retirement is on the horizon.
“Let’s see how long I can do it,” James told reporters. “But I won’t do it until the wheels fall off, I’ll tell you that. I won’t do that. I won’t be one of those guys.”
Was this James’ subtle cry for help outside him and Davis?
James has a long history of passive-aggressive comments.
Other Lakers Players Stepped Up
On Sunday, November 10, several Lakers players stepped up and provided enough support around James.
Jaxson Hayes admirably filled Davis’ shoes in the fourth quarter when the backup center scored nine of his 12 points and grabbed five of his six rebounds.
Austin Reaves also unloaded 12 of his 27 points as the Lakers pulled away for good in the final quarter.
Reaves has developed into the Lakers’ third-best player this season outside James and Davis. Beyond the trio, the Lakers have drawn inconsistent performances from the rest of the roster.
D’Angelo Russell, who was demoted to the bench after struggling out of the gates this season, is settling nicely into his sixth-man role.
The former starting point guard delivered 15 points in his second game off the bench and more importantly, he was plus-18 in the win.
But the question that lingers is if this is a sustainable formula for the Lakers to compete in the strong Western Conference with James, who turns 40 next month, doing much of the heavy lifting with Davis a walking injury risk.
James offered what he thinks is key for the Lakers to sustain this moving forward.
“Obviously, our communication, our transition defense, our defensive rebounding is very key,” James told Trudell. “And then hold teams to one shot. That’s the defensive rebound. But just getting better and better with our system. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
But fine will not cut it. The Lakers need to be a great team to compete for a championship.
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office have their work cut out for them, as James offered another passive-aggressive interview.
Anthony Davis’ Eye Injury
Davis exited the game with 5:16 left in the third quarter after Jakob Poeltl’s off hand hit him in the face while he went for a block against the Toronto center’s dunk.
“I just know that he got poked in it,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Davis’ eye injury after the game. “He was having trouble seeing. Obviously, taking a little bit of trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to get your clear vision back. But other than that, no update.”
Davis has already missed one game this season — a Lakers’ 131-114 loss in Memphis on November 6 — with a bruised left heel. If Davis misses time again, James has no choice, as he said, but to stay dominant.
With Davis playing little in the second half, James took the mantle of leadership. James nearly had a triple-double alone in the second half, producing 14 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
“If I see one defense, I see them all,” James told Trudell about how he manipulated the Raptors’ defense and made plays for himself and his teammates.
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LeBron James Throws Subtle Shade at Lakers After Anthony Davis’ Injury