LeBron James’ 10 best performances of the season

4. LeBron puts LA on his shoulders down in New Orleans (03/01/20)

Heading into their second matchup with New Orleans in less than a week, the Lakers were a bit battled and bruised.

This game marked the second of a back-to-back after LA had suffered a 17-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Even worse, Anthony Davis would not play against his former team due to a knee injury.

You knew the Pelicans would come out with a bit more juice given the recent transactional history between the two sides. One had to wonder if the Lakers had the necessary pieces to emerge victorious against a team in the beginning stages of a legitimate playoff push.

LeBron James made sure he was all LA needed by finishing with 34 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds and two steals.

Normally one to get some rest at the beginning of the final frame, LeBron had made a concerted effort to get this win by playing 11 minutes in the fourth. He scored 13 points with five rebounds and three assists to help LA outscore the Pelicans 29-19 en route to an eight-point win.

You wondered whether a back-to-back after recently scoring 40 against New Orleans would be too much for James to handle by himself — sitting out against the Golden State Warriors several days prior certainly helped.

If he’s taught us anything through the years, however, it’s that no team of his is truly outmanned as long as he’s on the court.