LeBron James barely had a chance to sit down in the tight matchup.
LeBron James knew that there was going to be a heavy load on him going into the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves and in year 23 and at age 41, James has clearly delivered.
The Los Angeles Lakers now have a 3-0 lead over the Rockets in a series that many dismissed and expected to go the complete opposite direction. James has been the scoring leader for the Lakers in the last two games and in the Lakers' most recent win on Friday, he showed off some vintage magic yet again.
Los Angeles was trailing by just three points in the final seconds of the game after Marcus Smart revived his team with a game-saving steal and three straight free throws. Houston still had control of the game with just over 12 seconds left. Then James intervened.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives with the ball as Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) defends during the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesTying The Game
He applied a full-court press to Reed Sheppard and batted the ball away for a steal. James recovered the ball and passed to Luke Kennard for a game-tying three.
Kennard couldn't get a shot off and instead passed it straight back to James who pump-faked two defenders before pulling up and sinking the game-tying three himself with seconds left in the game, good enough to send the game into overtime where the Lakers eventually prevailed 112-108.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) scores a three-point basket late in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesJames played an incredible 45 minutes in the game between regulation and overtime and barely sat in the second half at all. Head coach JJ Redick had to get creative with his timeouts and finding ways to get James off his feet for seconds at a time, but with the impact that James had in the court, the Lakers needed him for all of those minutes.
LeBron's Heavy Usage
When it comes to being relied on like that, even at age 41, James was ready to answer the call.
"I think it's just preparing myself for these moments," James said (via Spectrum SportsNet). "The game was so close... I felt like we could really turn the game to benefit us and win the game. If that meant that I didn't get a break and I had to dig deep, or deeper... in order for us to possibly win a game and go up 3-0, then so be it. That's what it is."
His endurance and his production at this point of his career is what has continued to amaze the NBA world and Friday's win was just another example that no matter what age he is or what the situation is, James can still be what he's always been.