AP PHOTOORLANDO, Florida: LeBron James scored 29 points and played exclusively at center in the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and beat the Orlando Magic 116-105 on Friday (Saturday in Manila). Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel replaced starting center Dwight Howard with James to start the second half, and the Lakers opened the third quarter on a 20-2 run. "He's the most unique player in the history of the game," Vogel said of James. When Westbrook fed James for an alley-oop in the fourth, chants of "M-V-P" broke out for James among the crowd. Rookie Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 27 points, VanVleet scored 21 and had 12 assists, Pascal Siakam also scored 21 points for Toronto, which went 2-3 on a five-game trip.

Source: Manila Times January 23, 2022 01:05 UTC