Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James continues to rack up prestigious achievements. The King’s latest feat came during Thursday night’s 119-115 victory over the Washington Wizards. In his 39 minutes of playing time, James posted 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field, 14 assists, and nine rebounds. As a result, the Cavs forward is now tied with former Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (420) for the fifth-most 30-point games in NBA history.
James scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s game to rally the Cavs from a 17-point deficit.
“I don’t have a quit bone in me, so if I’m on the floor I’ve got to try to make plays happen no matter what the score is,” James told ESPN following Thursday’s game. “That’s just my mindset.”
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks had high praise for James during his media availability.
“Like I said before the game, I’ll say it after the game and probably five years from now I’ll say the same thing,” coach Brooks said. “He’s the best player in the league and he does that every night. You don’t get to see players like him often.”
James, now 33 years of age and in his 15th season of NBA service, is showing no signs of regression. In fact, there are some experts and analysts who argue that this has been his best season with regards to statistics.
“The Akron Hammer,” as James is known, has played in all 79 of the Cavs’ games this season, averaging 27.5 points (third in NBA) on 54.3 percent shooting from the field (36.4 percent from beyond the arc), 9.2 assists (career-high), 8.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and just under one block (0.9) in 37.2 minutes per game.
James and the Cavs — winners in 10 of their last 11 games (including eight straight at home) — are currently the third-seeded team in the Eastern Conference standings with a 49-30 overall record. Cleveland’s next matchup comes on Friday night, as they’re scheduled to face the fourth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (48-30) inside the Wells Fargo Center at 7:00 p.m. EST.