In the third quarter of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, LeBron James threw down a thunderous poster dunk on Paul George. The clip unsurprisingly went viral on social media, and so did James Harden’s reaction to the dunk.
You certainly can understand that reaction, as it was an incredible poster dunk. A player doing that in their 21st season in the NBA would have been unheard of previously, but LeBron has shown time and time again that he is an exception to the norm in every sense of the way.
Despite the presence of stars like Harden, George, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis on the court, it was James who stole the show. The 39-year-old had a game-high 25 points to go with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal, as he led the Lakers to a 106-103 win.
NBA Fans Reacted To The Viral James Harden Pictures
Harden’s reaction will certainly go down as quite an iconic one. NBA fans hilariously reacted to his surprised expression as he witnessed LeBron throw it down on George.
One said Harden couldn’t believe LeBron did it at his age.
While the picture will go down as an iconic one, this certainly isn’t a game that Harden will look back upon too fondly. It was a rough night for the former MVP as he had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 1 steal. The 34-year-old also shot just 4-13 from the field, as the Clippers dropped to 22-13 on the season.
LeBron James’ Reaction To The Win
The Lakers came into this game on the back of four straight losses and it was a much-needed win for them. After the game, LeBron reacted to the Lakers ending their losing streak here.
“We still slipping on some details, and if we can continue to get better, if not, we suck right now, as I said after the last game. Tonight was a good step in the right direction, we want to try to continue that trend going into the next game.”
After their loss to the Grizzlies, LeBron had rather bluntly stated that the Lakers suck. Even after this win, which improved them to 17-18 on the season, it is clear there is plenty of room for improvement.
The Lakers led 94-84 with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter in this one but almost blew it. They allowed the Clippers to get back in it with their sloppy play, and Norman Powell even had a chance to send the contest to overtime, but missed the game-tying three.
There’s plenty of work that needs to be done if this team is to be a serious contender for the championship. A trade of some sort also seems inevitable at this point, and I expect the front office to be busy in the coming weeks.
The moves they made before the trade deadline last season turned things around for the Lakers, and they might be hoping for something similar in 2023-24 as well.
