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LeBron James was supposed to be on a minutes restriction when the Los Angeles Lakers began their regular season against the Denver Nuggets earlier this week. But after clocking 29 minutes in the 119-107 loss, he played a whopping 35 minutes against the Phoenix Suns to help LA clinch a 100-95 win. Now, all eyes will be on the 38-year-old again as they face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, October 29 at the Golden 1 Center.
James is not listed on the injury report for the Lakers, which comes as good news as he will be available to suit up for the clash against the Kings. The four-time champion did not play the preseason skirmish against De'Aaron Fox and company, but will now be taking the court when the two teams face off in the Lakers' second away fixture.
There is no telling whether LeBron James will play limited minutes on Sunday. With the team still reliant on his and Anthony Davis' scoring, the former MVP could go past the 30-minute mark if the game heads toward a tight finish.
LeBron James talks about playing well over his minutes restriction against Phoenix Suns
In the 100-95 win against Kevin Durant and the Suns, LeBron James propped up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists from 35 minutes. He played for the entirety of the fourth quarter, quashing all notions that he would be put on a minutes limit again for the second game in a row.
According to The Athletic, James said:
“It was an easy answer for myself. I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box today. And Coach Ham was cool with that."
In the Friday matchup, Durant and James faced off for the first time in five years after their last clash in 2018. While the Suns missed Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the onus was solely on Durant vs James, and safe to say, neither player disappointed.
Durant enthralled as well, with 39 points and 11 rebounds in his 39 minutes of action, but the Lakers bigs Christian Wood and Anthony Davis were impressive in guarding the Suns forward.
In the end, it took LeBron James' shot-making abilities in the clutch to help the Purple and Gold record a win. Now, only time will tell if they can notch up a win against the Kings.
