Year-23 LeBron James put his basketball genius on full display to win the game originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Los Angeles Lakers played the Philadelphia 76ers in the last game of their current road stretch. It was a tightly contested matchup featuring some of the game’s best players right now.Luka Dončić was able to fly back to the U.S. for this game after going home to Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter. He finished with an impressive triple-double, going for 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. His night was not the headline in Philadelphia, however. The story of the night last night was easily LeBron James. For the first time this season, he gave us a true vintage performance, turning back the clock with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists. After hitting a clutch fadeaway midrange jumper to go up five with 30 seconds left, the 76ers hit a three, making it a 2 point game again. Dončić then went on to hit two free throws, and the 76ers called a timeout. What happened next on the out-of-bounds play was nothing short of basketball genius from LeBron James. MORE: Luka Doncic posts monster triple-double as Lakers improve to 9-3 on the roadLeBron James uses his mind to seal the gameAs soon as the Sixers took the timeout, LeBron somehow knew exactly what was going on. He was seen instantly barking out what was coming, and JJ Redick made sure the team was attentive. With just 4 seconds left, LeBron sorted through all the BOB action noise and sniffed out exactly where the pass was going.I’m sure it’s a play he’s seen run hundreds of times. How did LeBron know the EXACT play Philly was gonna run with 4 seconds left…We need to talk about this 🤯(Via animal.world330/TT) pic.twitter.com/oj8XBVsDWi— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 8, 2025Even in year-23, if his body isn’t the same as when he was 28 years old, his mind is the sharpest it’s ever been. More NBA news: JJ Redick reveals the injury status for Marcus SmartLeBron James passes Robert Parish on NBA all-time wins listDeandre Ayton put up the most flawless double-double in Lakers historyLakers get bad news about potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade from NBA insiderLuka Doncic is forcing Rob Pelinka, Lakers to make trade, writer believes