LeBron James was the star of the night as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched a huge win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Apart from stuffing the stat sheet, James also had a pretty wild play at one point of the contest. Running the entire length of the court, LBJ finished the sequence by dunking the ball all over Paul George. Reacting to the monstrous dunk, James Worthy compared it to Julius Erving’s exciting plays from the 1970s.
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The 18,000+ supporters present at the Crypto.com Arena were left in awe as LeBron displayed his athleticism while flushing down the majestic dunk. James Worthy, for one, couldn’t get enough of the highlight play. During the postgame show, the Lakers legend showered James with praises – comparing him to a prime Julius Erving and labelling the play as the “dunk of the century”.
“That was the dunk of the century. 39 years old! That was like Dr J from the 70s. From the dotted line, Statue of Liberty dunk, he threw it down hard,” James Worthy exclaimed.
James Worthy called LeBron’s dunk tonight “the dunk of the century.”
Compared it to Dr J’s dunk from the 70s. https://t.co/DYQ7JOattx pic.twitter.com/rWu9as14sI
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 8, 2024
At 39 years of age, it was phenomenal to see LeBron dunk the ball. However, Worthy’s “dunk of the century” claim might seem to be a little exaggeration to many. As seen in the clip, George wasn’t even contesting the dunk. Some might even argue that PG 13 moved out of the way at the very last moment.
While it may not have even been LeBron’s best dunk in the past few seasons, his performance inspired the Purple & Gold to clinch a win. Recording 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, the 6ft 9” forward’s sensational outing helped the Lakers grab a 106-103 victory over the in-form Los Angeles Clippers.
LeBron James shifts gears when facing the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Lakers-Los Angeles Clippers contest was as exciting as enthusiasts hoped for it to be. Even though the bout witnessed merely six lead changes & six ties, the action-packed thriller went down to the wire.
As a whole, the fixture was a pretty docile one, with neither side being physically or verbally ill-mannered. However, there was one incident from the contest that bothered Paul George.
During the dying seconds of the quarter, LeBron James fouled George in transition. As per the new rules, Bron should’ve been called for a take foul, resulting in the Clippers guard being rewarded with two free throws. However, James was charged for a normal foul, a decision that left PG baffled.
“That’s a take foul. It was puzzling when the ref explained it to us… Ya, I don’t know. We all thought that was a take foul. Easy one,” George said postgame.
I asked Paul George about this play.
He said it was a take foul and the explanation from the refs didn’t make sense.
PG: “That’s a take foul. It was puzzling when the ref explained it to us… Ya, I don’t know. We all thought that was a take foul. Easy one.” https://t.co/6DVO0Us2DW
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) January 8, 2024
Decisions like these have a huge impact and certainly should’ve been avoided especially during a fixture as grand as the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.
The “Battle of LA” is one of the more entertaining clashes in the schedule. Apart from the fans, even players shift gears and elevate their game. LeBron James, for one, seems to enjoy going up against the Clippers, having averaged 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the two matchups against LAC this season.
Talking about the iconic fixture, Bron had once hilariously claimed that he would dunk on his mother if she suited up for the Clippers. Such is the gravitas of this bout.
The Lakers-Clippers are set to face each other for the third time this campaign on 23rd January.
