LOS ANGELES – LeBron James showed why he is one of the greatest players ever to touch a basketball on Wednesday night. In the fourth quarter, James outscored the Clippers single-handedly to erase a 21-point deficit, the biggest fourth-quarter comeback win of James’ historic career.
With 11:40 remaining in the game, the score was 98-77 Clippers before LeBron James put on a masterclass, scoring or assisting on 30 points and making five three-pointers. What looked like it would be one of the Laker’s worst losses of the season quickly turned into their best win.
“What it feels like to be in a zone in our sport, that is the feeling. When you feel like everything that you put up is going in,” said James. “I was just in a zone, and I can’t really describe it. You wish you could stay in it forever, but obviously, it checks out as the game ends. During it, you don’t feel anything; it’s like a superpower.”
LeBron’s flurry opened the door for other players to finish the job. Rui Hachimura hit a big go-ahead three followed by a driving reverse layup, and then D’Angelo Russell sealed the deal with a dagger three-point shot with 1:12 left on the clock.
The Lakers outscored the Clippers 39-16 in the fourth quarter.
“He was making shots, so I knew in the fourth quarter they were going to double-team him. I was ready to shoot the ball and be aggressive; that is what they want me to do,” said Hachimura. “I am never afraid to shoot those kinds of shots, and I knew he was going to make the right play.”
At 39 years old, James’ play in the fourth quarter was one of his most impressive stretches as a Laker. He is not as athletic as he once was but continues to add to his arsenal, which has allowed him to remain one of the most dominant players in the league.
“How can you be surprised with some of the things he does? A lot of guys locked in defensively and gave us what we needed, but he is a huge reason we won this game. Just him being him and taking over the game when it seemed out of reach,” said Russell.
Since 1999, the Lakers and the Clippers have played in the same home arena in downtown Los Angeles. Barring a playoff matchup, the Lakers’ 116-112 win marked the last time the two teams will face each other while sharing Crypto.com Arena.
Despite the Lakers winning six championships while calling Staples Center/ Crypto.com Arena their home, the Clippers hold the edge in head-to-head matchups 50-47. The Lakers initially dominated the rivalry and went 38-13 head-to-head before 2012. The following years saw a changing of the guard, with the Clippers winning 37 of the next 46 times they played.
Next season, the Clippers will have their own arena, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The plan was announced in 2021 and will be located across from SoFi Stadium. Steve Ballmer has done a lot for the franchise since purchasing the team in 2014 and has done an excellent job of creating an identity for an organization that has been looked at as the number two team in LA for much of its existence.
“Just having our own space, a place that we can call our home for our organization, our player, and our fans, is going to be very exciting,” said Tyronn Lue. “I love Mr. Ballmer, and this is something that he has talked about since day one when they first got here, and now it is coming to reality.”
It helps that they have been a good team with a winning record for the past 13 seasons and have marketable star players. The Clippers fan base has never been stronger, and cheers from the arena could be heard equally as loud for both teams in the game.
“As far as our rivalry, no matter how good our two teams are, when you are playing against a team that is in the same city, the same arena, it is always going to be a rivalry,” said Lue.
The Lakers still trail the Clippers by 6.5 games in the Western Conference standings and are in danger of once again having to participate in the play-in tournament to secure a postseason spot, but thanks to LeBron James’ heroics, they get the last laugh when it comes to their shared arena showdowns.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.