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LeBron James scored the game-winning three-pointer as the LA Lakers eked out a 103-100 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
The two teams squared off during their play-in tournament match that pitted the No. 8 seed Warriors against the No. 7 seed Lakers.
In a postgame interview with ESPN, LeBron James spoke about the game-winner that he scored with less than a minute remaining. It was a contested attempt, with the shot clock winding down and the score tied at 100-all.
“After Draymond, finger to the eye, I was literally seeing three rims out there so I just shot at the middle one. And I was able to, with the grace of the man above, I was able to knock it down.” James said.
LeBron James was poked in the eye by the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, and this resulted in a foul with 2:07 to play in the fourth quarter. James, wincing a bit after the play, made just one of his free throws.
The deciding moment of the game came with 58.2 seconds to play. LeBron James, parked in the three-point arc with Stephen Curry guarding him, received a pass from teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who couldn’t get a shot off in the paint. James immediately flung a high-arcing three that hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
LeBron James talked about how his LA Lakers team looked sluggish in the first half while the Warriors were aggressive from the get-go. It wasn’t until the second half that the Purple and Gold found their groove both offensively and defensively.
"They was ready to fight … we tried to ease into the game a little bit … it’s been a while (since) we’ve been in one of those energy, effort, every little (thing counts) games," James explained.
"They hit us in the mouth in the first half, and we just had to respond, and we did that (defensively)," James added in the ESPN interview after the game.
James finished with a triple-double — 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
LeBron James compliments Alex Caruso
One of the LA Lakers' key players against the Golden State Warriors was Alex Caruso, who defended Stephen Curry for much of the game.
The LA Lakers guard hounded one of the best shooters in the NBA and kept him from getting easy shots. Though Curry still made 12-of-23 from the field and had 37 points, the two-time MVP missed some crucial shots down the stretch that allowed the Lakers to celebrate in the end.
LeBron James complimented his LA Lakers teammate in the postgame interview.
“His attention to detail. He’s just smart. Knows what we want him to do. Always in the right palce at the right time. He just makes plays. Some in the box score, some don’t. (Tonight they did),” James said.
Caruso finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds, three steals and a block. He even led the LA Lakers in scoring at the half with 12 points.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers will advance to play the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of their first-round matchup in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The game is scheduled for Sunday, May 23.
Also Read: 5 Things we learned from Charlotte Hornets' 2020-21 NBA season
