With his Los Angeles Lakers leading the Houston Rockets by a score of 45-23 midway through the second quarter of Tuesday's tilt, LeBron James unfurled a 3-pointer from the corner and turned to stare down his own bench before the shot even connected.
LeBron having fun now 😳#CenterCourt pic.twitter.com/PbzIpcNWcK
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 13, 2021
Following the game, the superstar forward said the gesture was actually due to an impromptu bet he made with teammate Dennis Schroder, who was behind James as he took the shot.
"He said, 'Bet you won't make it,'" James told reporters postgame. "And in order to make a bet official, you either got to have a handshake or you gotta look a man in the eye.
"He said, 'Bet it,' and I turned around, looked him in the eye, and said: 'Bet it.'"
However, those on the Rockets' sideline weren't exactly pleased with the display.
"It doesn't feel good," head coach Stephen Silas said postgame, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "They're obviously a together group and they're having fun at our expense. It doesn't feel good at all and we should take umbrage. It's like they're dancing on our homecourt."
The Lakers held on for the 117-100 win to improve to 9-3 on the year. James finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, with eight rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.
