It was an action-packed night for NBA fans across the world as LA Lakers snatched the lead away from Portland Trailblazers in Game 3 of NBA Playoffs. Lakers scored 116 points and restricted Blazers to 108 in the game even though they trailed behind all through the first half. LeBron James continued to break multiple records in his 17th year in the league.
Big man Anthony Davis had a rough start scoring only 6 points before halftime. However, he turned it around after halftime scoring 23 points at .66 efficiency. Although his offense was underwhelming in the first half, he had a huge impact on the game defensively with 2 steals and 3 blocks. But to everyone’s delight playoff LeBron was back scoring 38 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Three assists short of a triple-double, LeBron James didn’t take the passing first approach in Game 3 as he did so far. He was aggressive right from the beginning and we could see glints of Miami Heat LeBron tonight.
“I think when you got two guys that click like that on and off the floor, it’s great for an organization.”@AntDavis23 on his chemistry with @KingJames. pic.twitter.com/3hh0s69sDp
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 23, 2020
It wasn’t necessarily a poor game for Portland Trail Blazers, they were just not enough for the top seed in the western conference. Damian Lillard had a big night scoring 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists and CJ McCollum stuffed his stat sheet with 28 points and 8 rebounds. They were dominant in the first half, leading in double-digit figures but could not hold on to it when Anthony Davis made a come back.
A friendly playoff duel between Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James was on display and LeBron reflected on it in postgame press conference stating,
“It’s very humbling and something we’ll talk about long after our careers”
Also Read: “You can’t call yourself ‘Playoff P’ and lose all the time”- Charles Barkley Ridicules Paul George
A list of records broken by LeBron James in LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers
- LeBron James moved up to No. 2 on the all-time playoff wins list with his 158th win, trailing only @derekfisher (161). He passed Tim Duncan, now in 3rd with 157 wins.
- LeBron James moved up to 3rd on the all-time NBA Playoffs 3 PM list in Game 3 victory
- LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the first LA Lakers teammates with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did it in Game 7 of the 2002 West Finals vs the Sacramento Kings
LeBron James reached a couple of major milestones tonight. 📈 👑 🏀 pic.twitter.com/HkUdhDWzhz
— theScore (@theScore) August 23, 2020
However, his stat sheet was not stain-free tonight as he committed several turnovers. LeBron pointed to his “careless turnovers” and missed free throws as weak spots tonight in what was an otherwise dominant effort. He had 8 turnovers and missed 5 free throws.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ENv4IafJJw
Also Read: NBA Draft Lottery 2020: Results and Projected Top Picks