LeBron James Looks Ageless As Lakers Snap Losing Streak Against Clippers

LeBron James continues to dominate in his 21st NBA season as the Lakers took the Clippers last night. LeBron played 42 minutes as the shorthanded Lakers took a 130-125 overtime win. 14 of his 35 points came in the fourth quarter and overtime as the 38-year-old veteran continued to be clutch late. He finished the game with a double-double, having added 12 rebounds to his stat line too. "I mean, he took over," D'Angelo Russell said of LeBron after the game. LeBron has now scored 51 fourth-quarter points through the first five games of the season.

However, the win carried more weight than simply putting the Lakers above .500. It snapped an 11-game losing streak that the Lakers had been on against their intercity rivals. The last Lakers win in the rivalry before last night's game was July 30, 2020. What's more, the Lakers did it with several key rotational pieces out with injury. The early season losses of Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt are a big reason why LeBron has been shattering the team's gameplan of having him play 28-30 minutes a night. Up next for LA is a trip to Orlando on Saturday.

Nuggets Lose, Celtics Win Big

Elsewhere in the NBA, November 1 proved to be a massive night. The Nuggets picked up their first loss of the season, falling 110-89 to the Timberwolves. Jokić had a game-high 25 points but got next to no help from his teammates. Jamal Murray was the only other Nuggets player to reach double-digit points. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards combined for 45 points. The Nuggets will look to bounce back against the Mavericks later this week.

While the Nuggets were losing, the Celtics stayed perfect in historic fashion. Boston dropped 155 points on the Pacers in a victory so lopsided, Jayson Tatum played 0 minutes in the fourth and still finished with a 30-point double-double. Eight Celtics players reached double-digit points while just one Pacer scored more than 15. It's Boston's second-highest single-game points total. Only a 176-point outing in the 1950s surpasses last night's effort.

[via]