James’ comeback was more about control than scoring volume. After a scoreless first quarter, he settled into a playmaking role, orchestrating the offence as teammate Luka Dončić led all players with 37 points and Austin Reaves added 26. The win moved the Lakers to 11-4 and extended their current streak to three games. Los Angeles currently sits in 4th place in the Western Conference standings.
“It was just fun to be out there with the guys, man,” James said afterwards. “It’s been rough mentally for me… this is the first time I’ve started a basketball season and not played since I’ve started playing basketball, like 9 years old, I’ve never missed the beginning of a basketball season.
“The pace tested me, but I was happy with the way I was able to go with the guys,” he added. “As the game went on, my wind got a lot better. Caught my second wind, caught my third wind. Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in almost seven months, so everything that happened tonight was to be expected.”