In Wednesdayās 119-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James (1,502) became the 26th player in NBA history to record 1,500 made 3-point field goals.
After posting just 10 points through the first three quarters of play, James, now 32 years of age and in his 15th season, erupted in the fourth, scoring 23 points. In fact, James completely took over the game for roughly four minutes of the final frame, torching the Nets for 18 straight points.
In his 33 minutes of playing time during Wednesday nightās game, James, who finished with a plus/minus rating of +20, turned in 33 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field (4-of-7 from beyond the arc), six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
At one point in the first half, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue pulled James to the side during a timeout. Lue, now in his third year at the helm, implored his star player to āstop messing around.ā The pep talk seems to have worked.
LeBron Jamesā new Cavs teammate, Dwyane Wade, had high praise for his long-time friendās performance.
āHeās so great,ā Wade said of James during his post-game interview. āYou know, everyone expects him to be great every minute, but sometimes we have to do a job of picking him up and giving him a chance to get into the game. I thought we were able to do that in the second half as we made our run, and then he just took over from there.ā
As he often does, James gave credit to his teammates and coaching staff in his interview with FOX Sports Ohioās Allie Clifton.
āIāve been in close-out situations so many times in my career,ā James said. āIām just happy that my teammates and my coaching staff allow me to implement all of the things Iāve been through in my career to be able to make an imprint on this game tonight. Without my teammates setting screens, and without them getting defensive stops, and without them just being on time and on target with plays down the stretch, it doesnāt allow me to do what I do best. Big time win for us.ā
James and the Cavs will be back in action on Friday night, when they host the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Carolinas, and NBA TV having live broadcast coverage. Fans heading to Quicken Loans Arena for the game are asked to wear black for the Cavsā #BlackOutTheQ event,Ā where they will also debut their new āStatementā jerseys courtesy of Nike.