LeBron James hits three points without a look to win mid-game bet with teammate in Lakers rout



[ad_1]

Already 21 points ahead of the Rockets in the second quarter, James caught a pass in the corner in front of his Los Angeles Lakers bench, and heard Dennis Schroder’s voice in his ear. “I told him to bet a Benjamin on it, so he shot it,” Schroder said.
James then swiveled to meet Schroder’s eyes as he attempted the three point,
“I took the bet while I was still shooting the ball,” said the four-time NBA champion.

“A bet is only official when you look a man in the eye, so I must have looked him in the eye, and I was able to win this one.”

To the delight of his teammates and with James still not facing the basket, the shot entered, causing the Lakers bench to burst in celebration.

While his repertoire of extraordinary abilities is wide and varied, three blind pointers have not been a regularity for James.

So, after wowing his teammates with his feat on Tuesday, James paid tribute to Steph Curry, one of the NBA’s greatest shooters and someone who made seemingly seemingly more common shots.

“Steph [has] That’s definitely what has done him the most in our league, and when you shoot the ball as beautiful, effortlessly and precisely as Steph, he has the ultimate ultra-green light to do it, ”explained James.

“Because 10 times out of nine it’s okay for Steph.”

The ridiculous, glaring pointer was the crowning achievement of the Lakers’ dominant 117-100 victory over the Rockets.

Behind James ’26 points and Antony Davis’ 19 points, the reigning NBA champions improved their record to a league-best 9-3 and are now undefeated on the road.

READ: ‘If I had known what I know now, I never would have set foot in the NFL’
James shoots a three-runner against the Houston Rockets.

‘This situation is crazy’

For the Rockets, the start of the 2020-21 season has been hectic.

After commercial demand for 2018 MVP James Harden fell on deaf ears and their opener was postponed, the Rockets are 3-6 so far after back-to-back losses to the Lakers.

After Tuesday’s resounding loss – in which the Rockets followed the Lakers by 30 points at some stages – Harden called the team’s situation “crazy.”

“I love this city,” said Harden – who joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. “I literally did everything I could. This situation is crazy. It’s something I don’t think about. can be repaired. “

Despite the additions of veterans such as John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, the Rockets’ normally fluid offense has looked baffled this year.

And this is embodied in Harden’s own struggles. The 31-year-old has won the NBA Championship title over the past three seasons but has failed to score more than 20 points in four straight games, his longest run since 2012.

“Honestly, we’re not even close to this team – obviously the defending champions – and all the other elite teams,” said Harden. “You can make a difference in these last two games.

“Obviously the chemistry, the talent, everything, and it was clear like I’ve said the last few games. From the start of the game, they were just an aggressive team, veteran, obviously, a championship team, and one of the best teams we have in this league. “

READ: Bill Belichick turns down Presidential offer of Trump’s Medal of Freedom
Harden warms up before facing the LA Lakers at the Toyota Center.

Missing a star, leaning on another

With Kyrie Irving out for his fourth straight game for personal reasons, the Brooklyn Nets had to rely on another superstar to help them out of a hole on Tuesday night.

The Nets, led by Kevin Durant’s 34 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds, recovered from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets 122-116 on Tuesday night.

During the game, Durant surpassed Elgin Baylor, Dwyane Wade and Adrian Dantley on the all-time scorers list and rose to 28th all-time.

In Irving’s absence, Nets general manager Sean Marks said the organization was “aware of a video on social media featuring Kyrie Irving at a family reunion.”

“We are reviewing the circumstances with Kyrie and the NBA to determine adherence to health and safety protocols,” Marks said. “Kyrie is staying away from the team for personal reasons.

“A date for his return has yet to be finalized. In the meantime, we will continue to stay focused on our organizational goals. Kyrie will have the opportunity to face his absence when he is ready to do so.”

Irving has yet to comment publicly.

READ: Cleveland Browns overcome history and adversity to win first playoff game in 25 years
Durant shoots the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets.

No more deferred games

Meanwhile, six NBA games have been postponed this season, due to the league’s health and safety protocols.

For the third time in less than a week, the Boston Celtics have had a game postponed due to issues with Covid-19.

Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features and videos

Wednesday’s home game at TD Garden against Orlando Magic was called off after the league said in a statement testing and contact tracing within the Celtics’ organization had left the team short of eight players. available required by the NBA for the Celtics to win the court.

Additionally, it was also announced that Wednesday’s Utah Jazz game against Washington Wizards has been postponed because the Wizards will not have the eight players mandated by the league. That means five games have been called off since Sunday.

[ad_2]

Source link