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1of8Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shoots against the Denver Nuggets in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Final series Monday, May 22, 2023, in Los Angeles.Mark J. Terrill/APShow MoreShow Less2of8Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) dribbles past Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Final series Monday, May 22, 2023, in Los Angeles.Ashley Landis/APShow MoreShow Less3of84of8Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures after the national anthem was played before Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Final series against the Denver Nuggets Monday, May 22, 2023, in Los Angeles.Ashley Landis/APShow MoreShow Less5of8Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) gets into a shoving match with Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Final series Monday, May 22, 2023, in Los Angeles.Ashley Landis/APShow MoreShow Less6of87of8Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50) is held back by a referee after getting into a shoving match with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, center, in the first half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Final series Monday, May 22, 2023, in Los Angeles.Ashley Landis/APShow MoreShow Less8of8
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James set a personal record with 31 points in the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night while his Los Angeles Lakers attempted to avoid playoff elimination.
In his NBA-record 282nd career playoff game, the 38-year-old James dropped 21 points in a dynamic first quarter. The top scorer in NBA history added 10 more in the second while playing nearly the entire half of this do-or-die game against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, who lead the series 3-0.
James made 11 of his 13 shots and hit four 3-pointers without a miss. It was the highest-scoring playoff half of his career, which began in 2003 and has included four NBA championships.
James added four rebounds and four assists, and he also got a technical foul after a physical exchange with Aaron Gordon when the two got locked up on the Lakers' end of the court.
James had struggled from distance previously in the series, going 3 for 19 in the first three games. He fixed his shot in Game 4 — and he even got credit for a 3-pointer in the first quarter when his lob pass to Rui Hachimura accidentally went in the basket.
James already had the highest scoring average in NBA history in elimination games (33.5 points per game) among all players with at least 10 such appearances.
