NEW YORK —
The Brooklyn Nets had just cut the Lakers’ lead to single digits, erasing three quarters of mostly forgettable basketball by the home team with a quick run against the second unit.
Momentum had swung, the Lakers’ once 26-point lead down to only eight.
But LeBron James had more than the ball in his hands. He had the rope, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer can still swing momentum back in a blink.
James made a three-pointer and then another, two of his nine threes in the game, calmly jogging back like a player who knew danger had been avoided.