After three years, LeBron James played again at Madison Square Garden, where he was the leader of the Lakers who suffered to beat the New York Knicks (123-129). 'King James', with a triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, surpassed Steve Nash and Mark Jackson to become the fourth highest assist in history.
"It's incredible. It's what I love to do: involve my teammates, try to put the ball on time and at the exact point for my teammates," he said in relation to his new feat. "I'm happy to be joined by some of the best, of course," he added.
LeBron took advantage of the victory against the Knicks, who broke a four-game losing streak for the Lakers in overtime, to once again criticize the referees for the controversial ending last week in the game against the Boston Celtics, when they fell in the extra time after a very clear foul by Jayson Tatum on the Los Angeles star was not whistled. "The game (against the Knicks) was decided by the players. In Boston it was decided by the refs," he said.
However, the Lakers' victory was not easy, as the Knicks, led by a great Jalen Brunson (37 points), managed to tie the game and send it to overtime. In extra time, Los Angeles managed to open a gap on the scoreboard and ensure the victory.
The Pelicans for their part, still without Zion Williamson, accumulated their ninth consecutive loss after losing to the Denver Nuggets (122-113) and are one step away from staying out of the Play-in. In the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic (triple-double with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists) and Jamal Murray (32 points with 7 of 12 in triples) were the most outstanding. The Spanish Willy Hernangómez added 6 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes
For the rest of the day, the Miami Heat took a valuable victory from the Cleveland Cavaliers (97-100). Jimmy Butler (23 points) and Evan Mobley (19 points and 7 rebounds) were the top scorers for Miami and Cleveland, respectively. The Spanish Ricky Rubio stood out for the Cavaliers with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 17 minutes.
In the duel between the Bucks and the Hornets (124-115) Giannis Antetokounmpo shone with 34 points and 18 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks added their fifth consecutive victory. The Clippers, meanwhile, beat the Bulls 108-103. Kawhi Leonard, with 33 points and a key steal on the last play, was the leader of the Los Angeles Clippers, who have accumulated six victories in the last seven games.
