The Los Angeles Lakers lost their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night but LeBron James gave it his all.
James posted a game-high 28 points as his Lakers went down 103-93 in Game 2 of the opening round.
That is a large total, especially since James was being guarded by Dillon Brooks, a young player who has made no secret of his desire to dominate the Lakers superstar.
SportsCenter pointed out that James has 26 points and 0 turnovers with Brooks as his primary defender.
He is also shooting 61.1% from the field and 42.9% from the three-point line with Brooks guarding him.
LeBron hasn't had a problem being defended by Dillon Brooks over the last two games 👀 pic.twitter.com/K943v8Ga15
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 20, 2023
It is impressive to see James still posting such numbers with a defender who is intent on slowing him down.
However, it isn’t the first time James has had to play against an athlete targeting him.
Multiple stars have tried to take James down – and many of them have failed.
While James is doing well despite Brooks, his team still stands a chance of losing this first round and exiting the playoffs early.
If that were to happen, Brooks would have the last laugh and would be celebrated as one of the men who brought the Lakers down.
Brooks has openly challenged the Lakers and James and so a lot of attention is focused on this budding rivalry.
No matter how this series turns out, these two will likely butt heads in the future, especially since the Grizzlies player called James “old” following Wednesday night’s loss.
Many people are wondering how James will respond and if he will play even harder in Game 3 as a way to silence and embarrass Brooks.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Had 1 Word To Describe Lakers' Loss To Grizzlies