Nobody would have batted an eye if LeBron James had missed a back-to-back game. The 41-year-old is battling multiple ailments and yet was on the court to help avoid the Lakers’ fourth straight loss. After a grueling 33 minutes against the Kings, the 21x All-Star did not miss a beat and dropped a near triple-double against the Hawks. This dedication has a deeper meaning, which has not gone unnoticed by the head coach.

Scoring 60% from the field with 31 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, JJ Redick candidly praised LeBron and shielded him away from unwanted criticism. “He got hit in the quad in the fourth quarter and he’s already in the ice bath. He’s going to do everything he possibly can to play in his 23rd year. You know, he just said, ‘I’m going to, I’m going to try. I’m going to try to do everything I can do my normal routine, if I’m able to go.’

I don’t take for granted the LeBron stuff. It’s unfortunate actually, not to go on a tangent here, but it’s actually unfortunate how much this guy puts into it and how much he cares. And the way certain people talk about it, it’s crazy! Come, be around him every day and see how much this guy cares. It’s off the charts.”

The decision of LeBron James to play in back-to-back games was heavily doing the rounds. Last week, King James openly stated, “Every back-to-back, for the rest of the season, is TBD”. After playing 33 minutes against the Kings and scoring 22 points, but missed all five of his shots from the three-point range. Since, the Lakers were on a three game losing streak, it was important for the leader to step up, which he did.

LeBron reflected after the game. “I would never disrespect the basketball gods.” He continued, So I put the time and the effort and the commitment in it mentally, physically, spiritually. Mean, my son is right over there. So, I can’t afford to cheat the game ever. And I wouldn’t ever do that. And I got to set an example for him over there, too.”

The 23rd historic season did not begin on the right note. A sciatica injury ruled him out for the first 14 games, and an arthritis diagnosis in his left foot joint has caused constant issues. To reduce the workload, JJ Redick even revealed that they have stopped practice shoot-around sessions in the mornings.

LeBron James comes through on the team’s promise after accepting responsibility for the defeat

The 4x NBA champions’ lack of effort on the defensive end has been a constant callout from the fans. The team’s defensive rating of 117.8, 24th in the league, doesn’t help either. The Kings converted 17-26 from downtown at a whopping 65%. Meanwhile, the Lakers hit at a measly 22%. LeBron went 0-5 from downtown and owned his mistakes.

“They made a bunch of threes, James said to the press. “We didn’t make many. Tonight was just one of those cases where you didn’t make shots. We got some very, very good looks. I got some great looks that you just have to knock down. And we didn’t.” This was the third straight loss for the Lakers and the team’s leader knew something had to change. He showed faith in the team yesterday, and it paid off.

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“So, we’re just trying to weather the storm, and that’s all you can do to go out and play the game. We will have a game plan tomorrow and execute that game plan and go from there.” They executed the plan well, and the Lakers jumped to a 32-point lead early in the second half.