Sports
LeBron Not Too Shabby In Lakers Debut
LeBron James scored 13 points in 14 minutes in his first game at Staples Center as Laker in a preseason game against Denver.
LOS ANGELES, CA — LeBron James scored 13 points in 14 minutes, 39 seconds in his first game at Staples Center as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, a 113-111 preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets Tuesday evening.
James made five of six shots, including his only 3-point attempt, and two of three free throws. He pulled down three rebounds, had three assists, made two steals, blocked one shot and committed four turnovers.
The Lakers outscored Denver by 13 points while James was on the court, the best plus-minus for any player.
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Like in Sunday's 124-107 loss to the Nuggets in San Diego in the preseason opener for both teams, James only played in the first half.
"The turnout was great," James said. The Lakers drew a capacity crowd of 18,997, rare for a preseason game at Staples Center. "The atmosphere was amazing, definitely appreciated by all of us in here that they came to a preseason game like this.
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"We just tried to give them a good show, which we did, all the way down to the last possession."
In a game with nine lead changes and eight ties, Denver (2-0) took the lead for good with two minutes, seven seconds to play when former Loyola High and UCLA standout Thomas Welsh grabbed the rebound of Donald Sloan's missed 3-point shot and made a layup.
The Lakers pulled to within two, 113-111, with 32 seconds left on Travis Wear's 3-point basket. The Lakers got the ball back with 14 seconds left on Sloan's offensive foul, but were unable to get off a shot before time expired.
The Lakers (0-2) led 33-26 at the end of the first quarter and 59-48 at halftime. They scored the first seven points of the second half to take their biggest lead, 66-48, but were outscored, 30-18, over the final 10:40 of the third quarter and 35-27 in the fourth quarter.
Center JaVale McGee, who like James joined the Lakers in the offseason as a free agent, was the team's leading scorer for the second consecutive game with 15 points in 19 minutes.
Center-forward Mason Plumlee led six Nuggets in double figures with 23 in 18:33.
City News Service; LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a play at the end of the second quarter during a preseason game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on October 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
