LeBron James threw what should be the dime of the season so far to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for the Lakers tonight, and Dwyane Wade loved it.
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The Lakers cantered to a blowout 120-102 win over the Rockets tonight. James never even looked like he was out of second gear, but he was as magnificent as ever. With 18 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block apiece, the King was absolutely in his element tonight.
Christian Wood might have wanted all the smoke with Anthony Davis, but the Lakers big man dominated him looking half-asleep. Wood got his on the night, top-scoring for the Rockets with 23 points on 20 attempts. But he was no match for AD, who made 9 of his 12 shots and 9 of his 10 free throws.
The Lakers had established a 19-point lead by halftime, and had essentially run away with the game by that point. James took a couple of long threes that he missed, messing his field goal percentage up a bit. But he looked every bit like this season’s MVP.
Dwyane Wade congratulates LeBron James for amazing dime
At the beginning of the 3rd, with the score at 71-49, Wood missed a floater from inside the paint. James corralled the rebound, but before anyone knew it, he’d already ziplined it to KCP on the break. The guard made no mistake in finishing the move off, giving them a 73-49 lead and James his 7th dime of the game.
Seeing James play right-hand dominant basketball may have made some viewers forget that he’s left-handed at other tasks. But this pass definitely must have served as a reminder. Wade himself was in awe of how amazing the pass to set off the fast break was.
The Lakers took a virtually unassailable 27-point lead on the back of their defense after this. James and AD played just about 30 minutes in a statement win that brought to the fore how really dominant the reigning champs are.
