AP – LeBron James would only hint at how long he expects to keep playing National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball.
“Not very long, I’m not going to play another 21 years, that’s for sure,” James said after he had one of the best shooting nights of his illustrious career, going nine for 10 behind the arc to tie his career high for three-pointers. “I don’t know when that door will close, but I don’t have much time left.”
James once again looked like an ageless wonder as he played is 1,485th career game and matched a season high with 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets yesterday.
James had the sellout crowd at Barclays Center standing on its feet as he put the finishing touches on his three-point shooting display in the fourth quarter.
He reached 40 points for the third time this season, most recently on March 16 in a home loss to Golden State.
The Lakers have won five of six since then, and this victory moved them a season-high nine games over .500 with seven games remaining in the regular season. Los Angeles remained ninth in the Western Conference, but the Lakers could catch the Sacramento Kings for eighth or the Phoenix Suns for seventh in the West, taking them out of the single-elimination No 9 vs No 10 play-in game.
If James has another game like this in the postseason, just about anything is possible for the NBA’s career scoring leader who continues to amaze at age 39.
The 20-time All Star finished 13 for 17 overall as the Lakers played the fourth game of a six-game road trip and rebounded from a loss on Friday at Indiana that snapped their five-game winning streak.
“I put in a lot of time working on my craft,” James said.
Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game the Lakers led by 20 in the first quarter and controlled throughout. Brooklyn got its deficit inside double digits just once in the second half.
Cam Thomas led the Nets with 30 points, trying to rally them after their dismal start.
