LeBron James is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he made his mark on the franchise during his eight years with it. He consistently played at a high level during that time, even if certain aspects of his game had clearly slipped, and he delivered an NBA championship in 2020.
As we take a look at James' greatest performances as a member of the Lakers in chronological order, we look back at one of his most memorable battles versus his rival and friend Stephen Curry.
A classic duel
James and Curry, of course, met in the NBA Finals four straight times when James was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Curry's Golden State Warriors winning three of those matchups. By the 2023-24 season, the Warriors' dynasty was quickly decaying, but on one
Saturday night that season in San Francisco, the two legends engaged in a duel that was very memorable.
The Warriors and Lakers went back and forth in the first half, as James scored 18 points and Curry had 16. Golden State pushed ahead by 15 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers staged a comeback, and the contest went into overtime tied at 118.
This one needed two extra sessions to be decided. In those two extra periods, James scored a dozen points, and he made the game-winning free throws with one second left to give his squad a hard-earned 145-144 victory.
He ended up with 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting, 20 rebounds and 12 assists, while Curry tossed in 46 points and dished off seven assists. For L.A., Anthony Davis scored 29 points and D'Angelo Russell added 28 points.
Every win was very important for the Lakers at the time, as they had recently gone through an extended slump. That win over Golden State put them over .500 and was their fifth win in their last seven games, and it may have been the most memorable of the regular-season battles between James and Curry.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James' greatest games with the Lakers: A classic vs. Steph
