Lakers News: Darvin Ham Explains Why LeBron Played Past Allotted Minutes Vs Suns

This could be a trend.

In a tough 100-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns, your Los Angeles Lakers managed to emerge victorious on the backs of a vicious 4th-quarter comeback, outscoring the Suns 28-11. 

The leader of this comeback was none other than LeBron James, whose minutes were supposed to be restricted this season. 

James put up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in 35 minutes of play (6 more than he played in the opening night loss against Denver. He also put up 10 in the 4th and scored three consecutive clutch baskets with the game on the line.

Year 21 LeBron in the 4th:

10 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL

Lakers outscore Suns 28-11 in the 4th, and LeBron closes with back-to-back-to-back clutch buckets.

Oldest player in the NBA. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/jnRrMbJbhK

— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) October 27, 2023

As originally expected with the minutes restriction, LeBron wasn't supposed to be out there for any longer than about 30 minutes. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and the King was called upon to play much longer out of need. 

Here's Head Coach Darvin Ham speaking on the matter:

“It’s beautiful to watch, and we needed every ounce of it.” Darvin Ham speaks on LeBron’s impact down the stretch in year 21. pic.twitter.com/mClwZMV51O

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 27, 2023

James' impact tonight cannot be understated. With limited offensive production coming anywhere besides Anthony Davis (10 from Austin Reaves, 14 from D'Angelo Russell, nobody else with more than 7), the team was in danger of slipping to 0-2. 

While the win was ugly and not a ton of positives can be taken from it, given how short-handed Phoenix played and the type of game the Lakers ceded to Kevin Durant (39 points on 28 shots), LeBron performing at this level when called upon at age 39 is historic. It also shows that Darvin Ham won't hesitate to keep LeBron out there when needed.

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