LeBron James on Thursday made a triumphant return to the court, breathing new life into the floundering Los Angeles Lakers with a 123-120 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
James, who missed 17 games due to a groin injury, scored a team-high 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and delivered nine assists in his first game since Christmas Day.
Showing no sign of the injury that resulted in the longest absence of his 16-year career, James played 40 minutes and scored the go-ahead basket in overtime after the Lakers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Photo: Richard Mackson, USA Today
James called the 36-day absence some of the darkest days of his career.
“I worked my ass off to get back to this point,” James said.
“I am at 80 percent right now, but I was good enough to feel confident to just keep pushing throughout the game,” he said. “I want to see how my body reacts tomorrow. That’s the tell-tale sign for me is how my body feels after having to play 40 minutes.”
Lou Williams scored a team-high 24 points and Patrick Beverley added 17 for the Clippers, who shot just 53 percent from the free-throw line.
James’ return could not come soon enough for the Lakers, who have gone into a tailspin.
The Lakers won just 11 of 17 games since James strained his groin in a game against the Golden State Warriors. The losing skid dropped them to the ninth seed from the fourth seed.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors 105-92 in a showdown between the two top Eastern Conference teams.
The Raptors rallied to cut the Bucks’ lead to six points, when Antetokounmpo ran into foul trouble in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks were able to pull away for the victory and take the season series with three wins in four meetings.
Khris Middleton added 18 points and D.J. Wilson had 16 points for first-placed Milwaukee, who won their eighth contest in the past nine.
In San Antonio, Texas, Derrick White scored a career-high 26 points as the Spurs continued their dominance at home over the Brooklyn Nets with a 117-114 win.
LaMarcus Aldridge made a clutch three-point play in the final minute to help the Spurs rally in the final quarter and record their 16th consecutive win at home over the Nets.
Aldridge, who was named a reserve on Thursday to the All-Star game, finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a three-game absence because of a sore left knee.
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