Fresh off of his one-game suspension for hitting Pistons center Isaiah Stewart in the face, sparking quite the fracas in Detroit, LeBron James returned to the court for the Lakers on Wednesday night against the Pacers in Indianapolis.
As has been the case for the Lakers on a number of occasions this season, it wasn’t easy, as L.A. had to come back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to take a late lead, only to be sent to overtime once again this season on a wild Chris Duarte three-pointer.
HOW!? Chris Duarte sinks the tough triple to FORCE OT in Indiana! #NBARooks
Overtime coming up on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/V0kkYEEIkG pic.twitter.com/KaxeWP9qEn
— NBA (@NBA) November 25, 2021
In that overtime period, James took over as he seemed to have a little bit of added motivation thanks to some overzealous fans courtside. Eventually, those fans crossed the line with something they said to James and he called over an official and arena security and had them removed from the game.
LeBron unhappy with some fans courtside in Indiana pic.twitter.com/1Ud3B69G1E
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 25, 2021
Shortly after that, James put the dagger in the Pacers with a deep three, which he celebrated emphatically, and a midrange bucket to close the door on Indiana’s hopes for another late comeback.
LeBron's 5th triple of the game extends the @Lakers lead in OT… he's got a season-high 37!
Watch the finish on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/V0kkYEEIkG pic.twitter.com/mGKCo20dU8
— NBA (@NBA) November 25, 2021
James finished with 39 points, six assists, and five rebounds to lead the Anthony Davis-less Lakers to a win to pull back to .500 at 10-10, and while we don’t know right now what was said to make LeBron call an official over to get those fans tossed, we’ll surely learn more shortly when he speaks to the media following the game.
It’s the second time this calendar year that LeBron has had fans ejected for crossing the line for comments that crossed the line, as last season’s “Courtside Karen” incident in Atlanta immediately went viral.
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