LeBron James made his 12,000 career assist as he spearheaded the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to a commanding 101-73 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Clinching home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. The 41-year-old superstar posted 28 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds, showing no fatigue on the second night of a back-to-back.
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James also recorded his 12,000th career assist, becoming only the fourth NBA player to reach the milestone. At the game’s end, James’ total sat at 12,010.
This second consecutive win, and 15th in 19 games, sees the Lakers (52-29) poised for the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Despite finishing the regular season without injured stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Los Angeles is one game behind third-placed Denver (53-28) with a game left, holding the tiebreaker. Luke Kennard added 19 points, and Rui Hachimura 13.
The NBA scoring king racked up 14 points in the first quarter, and he added six points and seven assists in the second half while making sure the Lakers’ lead stayed firm.
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The Lakers recovered to lead 57-48 at halftime. James had 22 points and Kennard added 17 in the half.
LeBron James scored 28 points and dished 12 assists to become the fourth player in NBA history to top 12,000 in a career, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a convincing 101-73 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns (AP)
Late in the third quarter, James scored on a layup to push the lead to 17. Then he stole the ball and cruised uncontested for a ferocious dunk that made it 79-60 with 1:12 left in the period.
Los Angeles held an 81-64 edge entering the fourth quarter and led by as many as 29 as Phoenix managed just nine final-quarter points on 4-of-21 shooting (19 per cent).
The Suns committed 24 turnovers and shot just 33.8 per cent, including a shaky 7 of 40 (17.5 per cent) from behind the arc.
Dillon Brooks scored 12 points for the Suns, who are seventh in the West standings and locked into the top spot in the play-in tournament.
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Devin Booker sat out for Phoenix to rest his injured right ankle for the postseason, and Jalen Green also sat with right knee soreness. Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen played in the first half, but sat in the second half of the Suns’ lowest-scoring performance of the season.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Koby Brea (14) (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Lakers’ injury woes remain dire, but Marcus Smart had six points and seven assists against Phoenix in his return from a nine-game injury absence.
James scored or assisted on nine of the Lakers’ first 10 field goals while they streaked to an early 16-point lead.