One of the most prevalent debates among NBA fans is between LeBron James and Michael Jordan; who is the greatest of all time? Everyone has different reasons for being on the side which they are and there is no right answer. Both players are incredible in their own right.
But, as James’ illustrious career moves along, he continues adding accolades and accomplishments to his resume. On Sunday evening against the Brooklyn Nets, he accomplished yet another thing on Jordan had previously done.
James scored 40 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 victory over the Nets, pushing their record to 3-1 during their six-game road trip. It has helped Los Angeles put some distance between themselves and the 10th-seed Golden State Warriors while providing a legitimate chance to move up in the Western Conference.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The 40-point performance also made him only the second player in NBA history, joining Jordan, to score 40+ points in multiple games after turning 39. This was the second time that James had reached that plateau while Jordan, who played until he was 40, did it three times.
James’ performance on Sunday was aided by his long-range accuracy. He made 9-of-10 3-point attempts, which set a career-high for makes. James was very efficient overall, shooting 13-of-17 from the field.
“I don’t ever have to lean on [3-pointers] because I can do so much — I can score on any level on the floor basically once I cross half court,” James said of his improved marksmanship in the latter stages of his career. “But being able to have a growth mindset and be able to work on things that the league is changing to, the league is a heavy 3-point shooting league.
“I’m not one of those guys that wants to go out there and shoot 12, 14 or 15 3s per game. But I want to be respected, and teams have to play me from the outside. That’s still kind of one thing teams [think] … ‘If we have to give up something, we’d much rather him shoot the ball from the outside.'”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Nets did what they could to try and slow down James, but when a player gets hot and his confidence is high, there is nothing to stop them. That is the situation James entered on Sunday, as no one would have been able to slow him down.
James is now shooting 41.6 percent on 3-pointers this season, which would be the highest of his NBA career. He has transformed his offensive game, becoming a knockdown shooter to compensate for whatever athleticism and explosiveness he has lost to get to the rim.
It has resulted in another impressive campaign, as James isn’t showing many signs of slowing down. He has admitted that his NBA career is nearing an end, but he is still one of the most productive players in the league.
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