LOS ANGELES: LeBron James joined NBA icon Michael Jordan as the only players to score 40 points in a game at the age of 40, pouring in 42 on Thursday as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 120-112.
James, who turned 40 on Dec. 30, delivered another age-defying performance that featured a three-pointer from the halfcourt logo in the first half and a dagger three that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 115-106 with 1:08 remaining.
James’s sixth three-pointer of the night helped thwart a late surge that saw the Warriors slice a 26-point deficit to five points — 109-104 — with 3:40 remaining.
Warriors star Stephen Curry shook off a slow start to key the comeback, scoring 19 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter.
But James and the Lakers wouldn’t be denied. James added 17 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one blocked shot as the Lakers won their fourth straight game and their 10th in their last 12.
“What do I think? That I’m old,” James said of joining the exclusive 40-at-40 club. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep.”
More seriously, James added: “The biggest thing is that we got the win. But anytime I’ve been named or (put) in the category with any of the greats it’s always humbling.”
It was all under the admiring eye of Luka Doncic, the 25-year-old Slovenian star acquired by the Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in exchange for big man Anthony Davis in a deal that rocked the NBA.
Doncic, nursing a calf injury, could make his Lakers debut as early as Saturday but Lakers coach JJ Redick indicated it would now more likely to be in Monday’s game against Utah.
The Warriors are also eagerly awaiting reinforcements in the shape of Jimmy Butler, whose acquisition at the trade deadline ended Butler’s acrimonious breakup with the Miami Heat.
With the deal finalized, Butler joined the Warriors in Los Angeles, where he said he was “just so happy to be playing basketball again” after being suspended three times this season by the Heat for conduct detrimental to the team in the midst of his trade demand.
As the sight of Doncic on the sidelines whetted Lakers’ fans appetites for his debut, Minnesota star Anthony Edwards was busy breaking a Doncic record.
Edwards scored 41 points to propel the Timberwolves to a 127-114 home victory over the Houston Rockets.
One day after his 49-point outburst led the T’Wolves to victory over Chicago, Edwards set the franchise record for most 40-point games with 14, surpassing Karl-Anthony Towns.
The 23-year-old made five three-pointers and became the youngest NBA player to reach 1,000 career treys, surpassing the mark set by Doncic — who did it when he was 24 years, 286 days old.
Meanwhile the new-look Mavericks, fueled by a scorching start from Klay Thompson, beat the NBA champion Celtics 127-120 in Boston in an NBA Finals rematch.
Davis’ Dallas debut was delayed again as he continues to recover from an abdominal strain.
But Thompson, acquired in the offseason, provided plenty of firepower, scoring 23 of his team-high 25 points in the first half to put the Mavericks on the road to victory in their first return to Boston since they fell in game five of last season’s championship series.
Kyrie Irving added 19 points for the Mavericks, who led by as many as 27 points.
Jaylen Brown led Boston’s scoring with 25 points and Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis added 17 apiece before Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters in the fourth quarter.
In other games, NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic produced his 24th triple-double of the season, piling up 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets’ 112-90 rout of the Orlando Magic.
Pascal Siakam scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers, who erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-112.
