Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce may believe that he was more clutch than Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, but he can’t deny that the four-time league Most Valuable Player just snatched away one of his NBA records (via StateMuse).
Oldest players with a 40-point game on 100+ TS%:
39 years old — LeBron James
35 years old — Paul Pierce
31 years old — Jeff HornacekThe only age-30-or-older players.
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James Goes Nuclear in Win vs. Brooklyn Nets
James was like a one-man wrecking crew in the Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Nets, as he scored 40 points and tied his career-high of nine 3-pointers. The future Hall of Famer was in the zone all game long, particularly from deep, missing just two of his 11 long-range attempts, while coming up with an overall 13/17 shooting from the floor. Moreover, James produced seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes of action and was 5/6 from the free-throw line.
At 39 years old, James is averaging 25.4 points on 53.3 percent shooting from the field and 41.6 percent from behind the arc, 7.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists. For what it’s worth, Pierce, when was 39, averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 11.1 minutes per game for the Los Angeles Clippers.
James’ offensive outburst came just in time to help the Los Angeles Lakers prevent a two-game losing skid following a 109-90 road loss to the Indiana Pacers last Friday. The win also boosted the Lakers’ chances of making it to the Play-in Tournament at least, as they improved to 42-33 — good for ninth in the Western Conference standings.
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