Father Time is undefeated, except when it comes to LeBron James. At 41 years old, James is continuing to show he still has plenty left in the tank, as he led the LA Lakers to a decisive 119-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
It was the final road game of the season, as LA will have a two-game home stand to end the 2025-26 regular season. They head straight back to host the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. All eyes will be on James’ status, as the star has missed most of the season’s back-to-back sets this year.
LeBron James returned from a one-game absence to score a near triple-double with 26 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, as the Lakers rallied past the undermanned Warriors to regain momentum in the Western Conference playoff seeding. The win also snapped LA’s three-game losing streak.
With the Lakers already dealing with injuries, losing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the worst possible times. Their roster has been depleted to say the least, making LeBron James’ role is now more crucial than ever to their playoff hopes.
The four-time champion was seen shaking his hand in the third quarter after a chasedown block but returned to finish the game. And the fans and media went through the motions asking about the incident, knowing any further bad news would be a huge blow.
“It’ll be fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but I’m good,” James said.
Right on cue, coach JJ Redick was also “hopeful” about James’ status for the penultimate game.
As the third option in his 23rd NBA season, LeBron James has thrived in his role, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in 58 games this season. He has proven that age is just a number, continuing to play at an elite level.
LeBron James stats vs. Phoenix Suns
LeBron James has faced the Phoenix Suns 52 times during his illustrious 23 years in the league. He has a 31-21 record in those games and averaged 25.4 points, 7.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds.
This season, he has played the Suns four times, averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds. While he has ended up on the winning side only once, he’ll be looking to make amends and add another win on Friday.
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