LOS ANGELES \u2014 After missing three straight games with foot, elbow and hip injuries, LeBron James returned to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup on Thursday \u2014 and did so with a direct response to critics who wondered about his willingness to fit in around Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves.<\/p>\n
James scored 17 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists in the Lakers\u2019 142-130 win against the Chicago Bulls, taking just 13 shot attempts to 51 combined for the team\u2019s starting guards.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a high-usage player and the No. 1 option his whole career, and I know he wants to win,\u201d Lakers coach JJ Redick said. \u201cAnd he wants to do everything possible to help this team win, even if it looks a little bit differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had to make some sacrifices when we traded for Luka last year. And he understands how important it is for Luka and AR to have time on the ball. And the realistic thing is that, when they\u2019re on the court together, that\u2019s going to take away time on the ball from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Thursday, James didn\u2019t attempt his first shot until the second quarter and made just one of five in the first half before a terrific all-around third quarter helped the Lakers blow the game open.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it benefits others, it benefits the team,\u201d James said. \u201cThe team is most important. Everybody\u2019s successful when we win. So, yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I\u2019m capable of still doing as an individual, but what\u2019s important for this team, I\u2019m able to adapt to what\u2019s important for this team. And that\u2019s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following impressive wins over the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves with James sidelined, a fresh round of \u201cAre the Lakers better without him?\u201d talk filled plenty of time on debate shows. The Lakers (41-25) are 10-2 when Reaves and Don\u010di\u0107 play and James doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Redick cited injuries and a lack of court time as the three primary reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a clear pecking order when LeBron \u2014 or when Luka and AR \u2014 are on the floor together with guys that are low usage players,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the nature of it. That\u2019s the nature of nearly every Big Three that\u2019s ever existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen some positive signs, and I know LeBron, he recognizes the importance of having Luka as the engine. All he really wants is to impact winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Redick praised James for his screening, something James said he knew he\u2019d have to do with Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber both missing the game because of back injuries. He also said the Lakers are entering the stretch of the season when they need to be readying for the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can build habits, you can build chemistry, you can build a way how you want to play when it comes to the postseason,\u201d James said. \u201cSo every game matters, and the way that you approach the game matters and the details of approaching every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Redick said he and James have spoken a lot about his role, and he praised the 41-year-old star\u2019s commitment to winning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a great conversation over the last couple days,\u201d Redick said. \u201cI think, again, he wants to do everything possible to help his team win. And he understands the importance of making sure Luka and AR can be at their best. And that\u2019s incredible with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates, and how much he wants to win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 After missing three straight games with foot, elbow and hip injuries, LeBron James returned to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[1055,355,99],"class_list":["post-521835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}