A bold comeback in the final period sparked the Lakers to a 112-108 victory over the 76ers, as LeBron James, at age 40, delivered 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to flip the game in Los Angeles’ favor.
At the postgame podium, James described how his body needed time to settle back into rhythm after rest and a recent stretch of inactivity, saying, “At 40 years old, it takes a little patience for my body to regain its rhythm, but tonight I felt like myself again.” The previous Thursday in Toronto, he looked worn by age as his streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points ended in dramatic fashion—the assist to Rui Hachimura for a game-winning bucket underscored the veteran’s lingering impact.
Against Philadelphia, James was all the way back, pouring in a season-best 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting and adding seven rebounds, six assists, and a steal to help stave off the Sixers’ final push. Lakers coach Darvin Ham (cited here as ‘Lakers coach’ in some reports) highlighted the importance of recognizing what James is still capable of, noting, “It’s important to be reminded of what you’re capable of every now and then.”
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse, meanwhile, reflected with a touch of humor: James has proven this kind of performance many times before.
The game carried echoes of James’ long tenure at the top of the sport. Philadelphia wore black throwback uniforms—a nod to Allen Iverson’s iconic era—while James closed the night with a fadeaway 20-footer with 27.4 seconds left, giving the Lakers a five-point lead. He then celebrated with a blend of his newer crown pose and a familiar de-escalation move—the silencer—afterward, a moment he admitted felt like a first-time fit during a postgame interview.
This performance came as James, who had been limited earlier in the season due to sciatica affecting his lower back and right side, teamed with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to stabilize a crucial stretch for Los Angeles. Dončić had just returned from Slovenia after attending to a family matter and, despite a 31-point triple-double, found the night complicated; Reaves, normally prolific, struggled, shooting 3-for-16.
James explained that when teammates aren’t firing, the opportunity to carry the offense falls to him, and he did just that, giving Dončić and Reaves a spark when needed. Dončić, who praised James’ late-game surge, called it vintage LeBron and expressed appreciation for having him on the floor to close the game.
Center Deandre Ayton totaled 14 points on perfect shooting (7-for-7) with 12 rebounds, silencing Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid for much of the night, though Embiid finished 4-for-21 from the field. Ayton’s perspective on the moment was simple: the performance felt cinematic.
For Dončić, the evening carried extra emotion—this was his first formal press conference since a long travel stretch surrounding the birth of his daughter. He described the experience as overwhelming, a roller coaster of emotions eclipsed only by the joy of family.
Bronny James sat on the Lakers’ bench as LeBron delivered the late heroics, a reminder that the next generation is always watching the elder statesman operate at his peak. Dončić, though fatigued, managed a triple-double, underscoring the ongoing arc of two generations of stars competing at the highest level.
Reflecting on what Sunday meant, LeBron said opportunities like these are finite in a career spanning 23 seasons, and that the arena’s electricity—the cheers, the boos, the energy—becomes a memory you never recapture once retirement arrives. The win improved the Lakers to 17-6, placing them second in the Western Conference, and pushed James past Robert Parish for No. 2 on the NBA’s all-time regular-season wins list.
This marked Los Angeles’ first win in Philadelphia since 2017, back when James was still with Cleveland. James summed up the night by emphasizing that delivering clutch performances in victories is what makes these moments so special.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
