LeBron James stole the Crypto.com Arena spotlight as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the Phoenix Suns to advance to the semi-finals of the NBA in-season tournament.
The hosts overcame a disastrous third quarter to prevail by the skin of their teeth 106-103 on Tuesday evening, setting up a showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans in Las Vegas in the process.
A couple of weeks on from becoming the first player in NBA history to reach the 39,000-point mark, James registered 31 versus the Suns, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter of a tantalising contest.
Eleven assists also came the way of the NBA's all-time leading scorer, who earned a slice of history as the first player to register 30 points in two separate games at least 20 years apart, having scored 33 for the Cleveland Cavaliers in November 2003.
Anthony Davis weighed in with 27 points and 15 rebounds of his own, while Austin Reaves amassed 20 points off the bench, including a pivotal three-pointer with just 15 seconds until the buzzer.
Kevin Durant led the way with 31 points for the Suns, who were left enraged at a perceived sense of injustice in the final few seconds, as James successfully requested a timeout on a loose ball.
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Over at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks' route to the final four was much more straightforward, as Adrian Griffin's men registered their highest points total of the season so far to crush the New York Knicks 146-122.
Another double-double came the way of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ended the contest with 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Damian Lillard added 28 points of his own to the total.
It was a tale of two halves for the Knicks' offence, though, as after putting up 72 points across the first two quarters, the New York franchise managed just 50 combined in the third and fourth.
Julius Randle's 41-point haul proved inconsequential for the visitors, as the Bucks prolonged their perfect streak in the inaugural in-season tournament to 5-0, having also overcome the Knicks in their unblemished group-stage run.
"Tonight was a huge step. We wanted to get to Vegas. But when we get to Vegas, we've got to take care of business. We still got two games to win there," ESPN quotes Griffin as saying after the contest.
Before the Lakers and Pelicans go head-to-head at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, the Bucks will lock horns with the Indiana Pacers for the first spot in Saturday's Championship game.
Ben Knapton
