Lakers Stun Warriors in Overtime Thriller, LeBron Drops 42

LeBron James delivered one of his most memorable performances of the season Wednesday night, scoring 42 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the Golden State Warriors 128-124 in a thrilling overtime battle at Crypto.com Arena.

The 41-year-old superstar looked every bit like the King of old, shooting 15-of-23 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range while adding 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 44 minutes of action. His clutch three-pointer with 1:47 remaining in overtime proved to be the game-winner, silencing a raucous Warriors crowd that had made the trip south.

Age is just a number, James said postgame. When you love this game as much as I do, you find ways to dig deep when your team needs you most. Tonight was one of those nights.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 12 points, but James single-handedly orchestrated a comeback that saw Los Angeles outscore Golden State 32-20 in the final frame to force overtime. Anthony Davis contributed 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Austin Reaves added 22 points off the bench.

For the Warriors, Stephen Curry matched James shot-for-shot with 38 points of his own, including 8 three-pointers. Klay Thompson added 25 points, but it was not enough to prevent Golden State from dropping their third straight game.

The victory moves the Lakers to 35-18 on the season, maintaining their grip on the third seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 31-22, putting additional pressure on their playoff positioning as the regular season winds down.