Published 21:44 IST, December 30th 2019
LeBron James fools NBA officials with bizarre weak foul on Anthony Tolliver: WATCH
LeBron James demonstrated his acting skills against the Portland Trail Blazers by drawing a foul on Anthony Tolliver who was looking to stop James from scoring.
Kyle Kuzma produced a brilliant performance against Portland Trail Blazers to help Los Angeles Lakers snap their four-game losing streak and beat them 128-120. Kuzma scored 24 points, while Anthony Davis had 20 points and 9 rebounds. LeBron James had 21 points and registered 16 assists. While Trail Blazers kept the match close against the Lakers, it was LeBron James who stole the show after drawing the weakest foul in the NBA history.
NBA: LeBron James foul
The incident took place at the 8:34 mark in Q2. LeBron James intercepted a pass, sprinted down the court with Anthony Tolliver right behind him. LeBron James went towards the basket and attempted a layup which missed the basket. Referees called the foul on Anthony Tolliver later on. In the replay, it could be clearly evident that there was hardly any contact and it was LeBron James' acting which drew the whistle. LeBron James went down in a heap, holding his elbow. Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts called a timeout and challenged the foul call. Even after review, referees upheld the foul, giving LeBron two shots.
NBA: Lakers vs Trail Blazers highlights
The Lakers dominated the first two quarters as Kuzma scored 20 points in the first half. He had 11 points in the Q2 as the Lakers carried a 71-64 lead into half-time. Portland opened the second half on a 5-0 run before the Lakers took control of the game. A 3-point shot by CJ McCollum gave Trail Blazers their first lead since the Q1 with 5:13 left in the Q3. Lillard scored 12 points. In the same quarter, Davis then provided an assist to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to give the Lakers a 103-95 lead. In the end, the Purple and Gold managed to hold onto their lead and win the game.
NBA: LeBron James 9000 career assist vs Mavericks
LeBron James reached 9,000 career assist milestone against Mavericks on Sunday night. He reached the milestone with 4:35 remaining in the Q1 when he fired an outlet pass to Davis three quarters of the way down the court for a dunk. It was one of 13 assists on the night. He finished with 13 points, 13 assists and six rebounds as the Lakers improved to 26-7, while Dallas fell to 21-11. Earlier this month, James passed Gary Payton to move into ninth on the career assist list, and he's on pace to pass Isiah Thomas (9,061) before February.
Updated 21:45 IST, December 30th 2019