NBA Top Performers Of The Day, April 4: LeBron James' 37 Points Led Los Angeles Lakers Past Utah Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers have now won four straight and hold the No. 7 spot in Western Conference

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY:

LeBron James had 37 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ overtime win over the Utah Jazz, including nine in the extra period. The win put the Lakers in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference standings. 

James made the go-ahead basket with 27 seconds left. 

“I saw a nice clear lane to the right side,” James said. “I definitely had to make up for blowing that layup at the end of regulation. I had a really good look. We set up a good play and I just left it a little short.”

OTHERS: 

-Joel Embiid’s monster 52-point performance catapulted the Philadelphia 76ers above the Boston Celtics, and may have cemented his MVP campaign for this season.

It was his third 50-point game of the season.

“The MVP race is over,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said.

Embiid also had 13 rebounds and six assists.

-The end of the season is when fans want to see their stars playing the best basketball. Donovan Mitchell seems to have gotten that memo, after logging his fourth consecutive 40-point performance in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Orlando Magic.

Mitchell had 43 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter to lift Cleveland late. He joined James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kobe Bryant as the only players to have four straight 40-point games in the past 25 seasons.

“The lights are at its brightest,” Mitchell said about playing during this point of the season. “Every possession matters, you play the game to win and play at the highest level. Not to discredit the earlier months, but this time of year, it’s just a different vibe. You understand what’s coming and this is what you worked all summer for. We got a tough task whoever we play in the playoffs, and we gotta be ready every night. I’m just gonna continue to lead by example.”

- Steph Curry had another star performance with 34 points on 6 of 13 shooting from 3-point range to get the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

- Jrue Holiday flirted with a triple double in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Washington Wizards, ending the night with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.