JJ Redick’s message amid LeBron James’ first straight

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a 3-game losing streak, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 141-116, in large part due to LeBron James playing their first back-to-back matches of the season. James was the Lakers’ leading scorer with a 31 pointsand after the game, the head coach JJ Redick talked about the absurdity of any attempt to criticize him.

“I don’t take things for granted, things about LeBron,” Redick said. “It’s sad actually, how much this guy puts into it, how much he cares, and the way some people talk about it, it’s crazy. Come be around him every day and see how much this guy cares.”

At the age of 41 and in a historic 23rd season in the NBA, LeBron James he hasn’t played back-to-back so far, as the Lakers continue to monitor his mileage. recently, Redick revealed that the Lakers canceled games on game day partly to keep James’s fresh.

After playing 33 minutes the night before against the Sacramento Kings, it was assumed that James would not play against the Hawks. But after going through his pregame routine, James felt well enough to suit up.

“We didn’t expect him to be able to play, that’s the nature of a 41-year-old,” Redick said. “He’s playing heavy minutes, and he just said, ‘I’m going to try to do everything I can, do my normal routine, see if I can go.’

James ended up one rebound short of a triple-double, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds. He was 12 of 20 (60 percent) from the field, 2 of 4 (50 percent) from the 3-point line and 5 of 6 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.

By playing back-to-back, James also preserved his chances for an All-NBA selection at the end of the season. Having already missed 17 games, he cannot miss another game or fall short of the NBA’s requirement of 65 games played to be eligible for postseason awards.

Entering Tuesday’s game against the Hawks, James had played a total of 20 games at just over 33 minutes per game. He averaged 22.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals on 50.8 percent shooting from the field, 30.4 percent from the 3-point line and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.

The Lakers have another set of back-to-back games this month, Jan. 17 against the Portland Trail Blazers and Jan. 18 against the Toronto Raptors. It will be interesting to see what the plan is for James as the season progresses.