Coming into a Friday night showdown with the Hawks on his 38th birthday, LA Lakers star LeBron James told his teammates he had a gift for them. He was going to score 40 points to get them back on track after Los Angeles had lost five of its past six.
Showing that age is just a number to outdo in the box score, James proved prophetic, finishing with 47 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a 130-121 come-from-behind victory over Atlanta.
For most of the night, after shaking off a 1-for-5 start, it was mesmerizing. James finished by going 18-for-27 from the field and helped Los Angeles surge back from a 15-point first-half deficit to complete its largest comeback win of the season.
James passed Jordan for the longest span between a player’s first and last 40-point game, dominating the Hawks 18 years and 278 days after he first topped the 40-point plateau while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.