James was ejected for an elbow to Pistons center Isaiah Stewart's eye, which was deemed a flagrant 2 foul, with the incident setting off a wild brawl in the Lakers' rallying 121-116 victory.
Stewart, who was also tossed from the game, was left bloodied from his right eye and incensed, repeatedly attempting to charge at James, having to be restrained and escorted off the court by coaches and team-mates amid chaotic scenes.
James and Stewart had jostled for position for a rebound from Jerami Grant's free throw early in the third quarter, when the four-time MVP's left elbow struck the Pistons big man's eye.
"Everyone in the league knows LeBron's not a dirty guy," said Davis, led the Lakers' comeback with 30 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and four steals. "As soon as he did it, he looked back at him and said 'my bad, I ain't try to do it'.
"I don't know what [Stewart] was trying to do. I know nobody on our team, one through to 15, was having it. We wanted to protect our brother.
"I've never in 10 years seen a player try to do that... It was uncalled for. You got a cut above your eye, accidental, it wasn't on purpose.
"We weren't going to allow him to keep charging our brother like that. I don’t know what he was trying to do. We just wanted to get the win for him."
The Lakers were trailing by 12 points at the time of the incident but went on to win behind Davis' big performance on the road.
Davis became the first Laker with a 30/10/5/3/5 game since Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal in 2001.
Russell Westbrook (26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds) was important down the stretch too, with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists in the fourth quarter alone, as the Lakers dominated with a 37-17 final quarter.
Amid the chaos of the brawl, Westbrook received a technical foul which left him dumb-founded post-game, stating he was an easy target for the referees.
"I didn't know I had a tech… woah, that's interesting," Westbrook told reporters. "For being Russell, I guess? I don’t know why but whatever.
"They had to put it on somebody. I'm an easy person to put s*** on. Why not me?"
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel hailed his side's response to the incident, reeling in the Pistons' game-high 17-point lead to claim a win that helped the championship-chasing franchise improve to 9-9 for the season.
"To me, it's one of those things that can change the momentum of your season," Vogel said. "To see guys rally around a team-mate that just got ejected like that in a strange circumstance.
"We played with incredible guts, started the fourth quarter down by 15. That's the determination that this team is going to need. That's how hard we've got to play to get Ws. "That's a heck of a win for us."
Davis has been sidelined since exiting the NBA champions' game against the Denver Nuggets on February 14 as he recovers from tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg.
The Lakers have also been without superstar LeBron James due to an ankle injury, but head coach Frank Vogel said the team are close to welcoming back Davis.
Davis missed Thursday's clash with the Boston Celtics, but Vogel did not rule out the eight-time All-Star from potentially returning in the Utah series across April 17 and April 19.
The Lakers are more hopeful Davis will be ready to face the Dallas Mavericks on April 22.
"Good news. He was evaluated again upon the return of this trip," Vogel told reporters on Thursday.
"He has been cleared for full on-court activity. Full practice, anything we want to do with him to begin his real ramp-up to begin his return to play.
"All the court work he's been doing until this point has been to get him to be fully cleared to participate in full practice.
"Obviously he's not playing tonight [Thursday]. It's unlikely he plays in the two Utah games, but not out of the question. Hopefully he is available after that."
Davis, who will return on a minutes restriction, was averaging 22.5 points per game this season before the injury – his lowest since his second year in the league with the New Orleans Pelicans (20.8).
The 28-year-old's average of 8.4 rebounds in 2020-21 is the lowest since his rookie season (8.2) in 2012-13.
Vogel's Lakers (34-21) are fifth in the Western Conference, seven games adrift of the high-flying Jazz (41-14).
The Lakers and Miami Heat will go head-to-head in the Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday at Walt Disney World Resort.
It has been a difficult season for the Lakers, who mourned the death of legendary guard and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant following a helicopter crash in January.
The top-seeded Lakers, like rival teams, have also dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the league to be suspended in March before resuming inside the Orlando bubble in July.
Preparing for his maiden Finals appearance in his first season with the Lakers following a blockbuster trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, All-Star Davis told reporters on Tuesday: "It's special.
"It's been a crazy year. For us to continue to be a step closer to our dreams, to reach our goals, it's special.
"I think our team has been through the most this year, and we just kept on pushing, kept on fighting. With everything that's been going on, I kind of think the hiatus was actually good for us. It kind of just let us regroup because we had such a crazy year. The Lakers had such a crazy year.
"Now we want to make sure that we finish this thing off right. Our team is a team that handled adversity this year.
"We've been resilient. And now we feel like it's our jobs to finish the season off the way we wanted to start it, the same way we wanted to start it. We're four wins away from that, and it seems like it's all just come full circle."
It will be a reunion for LeBron James and the Heat in the Finals after the superstar won two championships in 2012 and 2013 during his time in Miami.
James – who also celebrated glory with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 – has the chance to claim a fourth NBA title and Davis said: "He's a guy who obviously when he played against his former teams, he wants to win very bad, very badly, just like everyone else does.
"But to be back in the Finals against Miami I think means a lot more to him winning this than anyone else. I think this championship is probably second behind Cleveland, being able to get this one for him.
"I think this one is going to be a tough one. People said it's going to be the toughest championship in NBA history from a mental standpoint just because of the circumstances. But it's been fun to watch him. He goes to the Finals every year. Win or lose, he always comes back the next year. And to finally get back after last year and go against his former team, I'm pretty sure he's going to have a competitive series."
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel also hailed James, adding: "He's the best leader I've ever been around, simplest way to put it, in terms of players. We've dealt with a lot, a lot of heavy emotional types of adversity that we've gone through, and he sets a great tone with his example.
"But he is also a great leader from a communicative standpoint, talking to guys, talking to the group about the right mindset to have, to be in certain situations, being the leading voice when things occur where we're all not really sure how to deal with it or what to say. You know, he's been a leading voice in those situations. Just an integral part of our success this year."
Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-final series saw the Lakers seal a 110-100 victory over the Houston Rockets and move into a 3-1 lead.
They restricted the Rockets to 43.1 per cent shooting as a team, with All-Star guard James Harden 2-of-11 from the floor.
The Lakers missed out on free agent Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason, but Vogel feels their defense makes up for the absence of a third star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Vogel said of his team's ability to get stops: "That's as powerful a weapon as there is in one of these playoff runs. It's as powerful as a superstar.
"If you have an elite defense, that can be your third star, so to speak.
"When you have the confidence that you can go four, five, six possessions where you're just squeezing the other team's offense, getting stops, and then with our ability to run the floor, with LeBron James being the quarterback of that action and being in attack mode, we have a strong belief in what we can accomplish as a group."
Harden still finished the game with 21 points by making 16 of his 20 free throw attempts, so Vogel acknowledged there is still room for improvement from the Lakers.
"We're happy with what we were doing on the defensive end," Vogel said. "It can always get better.
"Obviously, the fouls [can be cut down]. Plan A with guarding James Harden is don't put him on the free throw line and we gave him 20 free throw attempts. So, we've got to make sure we're doing a better job there, but overall, we're just trying to limit him and make him as uncomfortable as we can.
"He's seen every coverage there is in the world and he knows how to attack it. Like I said all along with this group and with him: We're not going to be comfortable because we know what he's capable of.
"So, we've just got to continue to watch film, get better, strengthen the plan each game that we play and hopefully get better in Game 5."
James contributed 16 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and two steals for the Lakers and explained how difficult it is for the team to defend against Harden.
"James is probably one of the best offensive players that we've ever seen in this league," the Lakers star said.
"I mean, he had 20 free throw attempts and we're trying to not put him to the free throw line. One of our game plans is to not put him to the free throw line and we're trying to not put him to the free throw line, and the guy is just so clever that he was still able to get 20 free throw attempts.
"We're just trying to eliminate anything that we can from him, because he can score from [anywhere]. He gets into the paint with his runners, with his floaters. Obviously, he's got the step-back. He's got the threes in transition. He has his catch-and-shoot threes when he's off the ball. And, like I said, he's very tricky with his moves in the paint, where he gets to the free throw line.
"So we're just trying to take away some things. We can't take away everything, because that's how great he is offensively. We try to follow the game plan and see what happens from there."
James returned from a six-week absence due to a right ankle sprain only to re-aggravate the injury after just two appearances for injury-hit NBA champions the Lakers.
There had been hopes that James would make his comeback against the New York Knicks on Tuesday or the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, but the four-time MVP missed both games.
The Lakers – who are seventh in the Western Conference and currently occupy a play-in position ahead of the playoffs – only have two regular-season matchups remaining and James is listed as questionable for the clash with the Pacers.
"We want to see how he feels in response to today's work, like always," Vogel told reporters on Friday. "But there's a chance that he plays if things go well."
James has been averaging 25.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the Lakers this season.
Through 43 games in 2020-21, James boasts a field-goal percentage of 51.3 – his best since 2017-18 and it is the same story regarding his three-point percentage of 36.6, which is his highest since that season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Anytime you've had guys that have been out for extended absences and they're returning to play, it's always going to be a little bit imperfect," Vogel said.
"So the more minutes you can get those guys, the better off it's going to be for us, in terms of the readjustment period. So if we're able to do that, that would be great."
The Lakers could also be boosted by the return of fellow star Anthony Davis for the Pacers showdown.
Davis, who did not practice on Friday, sat out the 124-122 win over the lowly Rockets midweek due to groin tightness.
"I feel fine. I feel great," Davis said. "Went through some things during practice, not everything, but got some work going on, got some work in on the side. So felt great, felt great today."
James played 27 minutes but exited Sunday's 110-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans early with soreness in the right ankle which has kept him sidelined for most of the past two months.
The four-time MVP played back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday upon his return from injury but is available for the midweek showdown with Stephen Curry's eighth-seeded Warriors.
"He had some minor soreness but he's good to go," Vogel said following practice on Tuesday.
"He was a full participant in practice today and is good to go."
Anthony Davis also confirmed his full fitness to face the Warriors after being listed as questionable with left adductor strain tightness on Sunday.
The star forward played 30 minutes against the Pelicans in the team's regular-season finale.
"I'm fine," Davis said. "The adductor feels good, the shoulder feels good."
Defending champions the Lakers – seeded seventh in the Western Conference – may finally have a full clean bill of health, having been without James, Davis or Dennis Schroder for most of the run into the postseason.
Schroder played the final two games of the regular season along with James and Davis after being subject to the league's health and safety protocols.
The German guard subsequently missed seven games in May, impacting his conditioning.
"I'm still not, conditioning-wise, all the way back," Schroder said. "I've been out 10 days. I didn't do nothing, I was at home.
"At the end of the day, I'm going to work my way into it, but it's not going to hurt my team-mates. I'm going to give everything I have, go out there and do the same things that I do during the season and truly to get a W."
The Lakers will begin their preparations for the 2020-21 NBA season when they face city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, just 61 days after winning their first championship in 10 years – a triumph inspired by superstar duo James and Davis.
After a brief offseason, the Lakers will start their title defence against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers on December 22, with James already stating the franchise will be "very conscientious" with their approach.
"We haven't made that decision yet, but I will say it's probably unlikely that they play," Vogel told reporters on Tuesday.
It will be the first of four preseason games for the Lakers, who face the Clippers again on Sunday before road fixtures against the Phoenix Suns on December 16 and 18.
Both James and Davis signed contract extensions after helping end the Lakers' title drought last season.
James agreed a two-year, $85million deal, while Davis reportedly signed a five-year contract worth $190m after opting out of the final year of his previous agreement – making him a free agent.
Davis and James became the first pair of team-mates in NBA history to each have 500-plus points and 200-plus rebounds in the same postseason.
The first overall pick in 2012 by the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis averaged 26.1 points in the Lakers' title-winning campaign – the most by any team-mate of James' when appearing in at least 70 per cent of games.
Davis' numbers rose in the playoffs too, the 27-year-old averaging 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Lakers lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
He became the fifth player in league history to shoot 50-40-90 in the NBA Finals (.571 field goal percentage, .421 three-point percentage and .938 free-throw percentage), joining Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson.
"I just want to make sure I'm good to go," Davis said. "I don't want to rush into anything. We've seen, unfortunately, how football went with no preseason, shorter season, and a lot of injuries happen.
"You don't kind of want that same thing. So I'm going build up the right way. Coach has been doing a great job of doing that with our team, building up the right way."
"I feel good, body feels good, but at the same time I got to make sure the people around me, my training staff, my trainer, training staff, coaches, also be in my ear like, 'AD, calm down,'" Davis added.
"I've been great doing practice. I've been in every drill, being in condition and getting back into the swing of things, but like I said, you want to be smart about it as well."
James and Davis sat out the opening two preseason fixtures against city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers after leading the Lakers to their first NBA championship in 10 years in October.
But James and Davis geared up for opening night – December 22 against the Clippers – by taking to the court in the 112-107 victory in Phoenix midweek.
James posted 11 points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes, while star team-mate Davis had 10 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action as Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 23 points.
"We anticipated a little bit rusty first stretch and I thought that played out," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said of James post-game.
"Once he got his legs underneath him, I think he settled in and looked great.
"I think it was anticipated and as I anticipated and it’s going to be a matter of getting his legs back under him again."
Lakers superstar James earned his fourth Finals MVP in 2019-20, becoming the first player in NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL history to win the Finals MVP with three different teams, having also received the honour with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, per Stats Perform.
Last season, James appeared in 67 games and averaged 25.3 points, a career-best and league-leading 10.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per games, while he averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the playoffs.
Davis and James became the first pair of team-mates in NBA history to each have 500-plus points and 200-plus rebounds in the same postseason as the Lakers reigned supreme.
The first overall pick in 2012 by the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis averaged 26.1 points in the Lakers' title-winning campaign – the most by any team-mate of James' when appearing in at least 70 per cent of games.
Davis became the fifth player in league history to shoot 50-40-90 in the NBA Finals (.571 field goal percentage, .421 three-point percentage and .938 free-throw percentage), joining Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson.
Reflecting on his return against the Suns, Davis – who is fresh off signing a five-year contracted – said: "I felt great, honestly.
"Coming in I thought I'd be a little winded. You can try to get in shape all you want, but there's nothing like getting into basketball shape, in game shape.
"I was kind of hesitant about that, but I felt fine. I could have played more. Probably going to play more Friday, but I felt physically fine."
James and Davis sat out the opening two preseason fixtures against city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers after leading the Lakers to their first NBA championship in 10 years in October.
But Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said James and Davis will make their preseason bows in the midweek clash with the Phoenix Suns.
"I do plan on playing AD and LeBron some first-half minutes, but just to kind of get their feet wet," Vogel told reporters on Tuesday.
The Lakers start their title defence against Kawhi Leonard's Clippers on December 22 and Vogel added: "I just want to see them go out and try to get a rhythm. Get comfortable with some of their new team-mates and try to get their legs under them a little bit.
"We've been trying to intentionally every day monitor the amount of work put on those guys after the shortest offseason in history, and that will be no different with these next two preseason games."
Both James and Davis signed contract extensions after helping end the Lakers' title drought last season.
James agreed a two-year, $85million deal, while Davis reportedly signed a five-year contract worth $190m after opting out of the final year of his previous agreement – making him a free agent.
Davis and James became the first pair of team-mates in NBA history to each have 500-plus points and 200-plus rebounds in the same postseason.
The first overall pick in 2012 by the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis averaged 26.1 points in the Lakers' title-winning campaign – the most by any team-mate of James' when appearing in at least 70 per cent of games.
Davis became the fifth player in league history to shoot 50-40-90 in the NBA Finals (.571 field goal percentage, .421 three-point percentage and .938 free-throw percentage), joining Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Penny Hardaway and Magic Johnson.
James earned his fourth Finals MVP, becoming the first player in NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL history to win the Finals MVP with three different teams, having also received the honour with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Heat, per Stats Perform.
Last season, James appeared in 67 games and averaged 25.3 points, a career-best and league-leading 10.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per games, while he averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the playoffs.
One of six players in NBA history to average 25 points and 10 assists in a single season, James earned a league-record 13th All-NBA First Team selection, while being selected as an All-Star for the 16th time in his career.
James has missed the previous six games for the defending NBA champions due to a high ankle sprain.
However, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed to the media that the four-time MVP will be involved against the Pacers in the Lakers' penultimate game in the regular season.
A win over Indiana, as well as in Sunday’s clash with the New Orleans Pelicans, and Los Angeles can rise to sixth in the Western Conference, provided the Portland Trail Blazers lose to the Denver Nuggets.
If they finish as the seventh seed, though, then they will have to go through the play-in tournament to have a chance of defending their title.
James initially missed 20 games earlier in the campaign with the injury to his right ankle that he suffered against the Atlanta Hawks on March 20.
He briefly made a comeback earlier this month, only to be sidelined again after feeling pain in his second outing back.
In the 2020-21 season, James has averaged 25 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
Davis sat out Wednesday's win over the Houston Rockets due to a groin issue but is available again, while Schroder has cleared the NBA's health and safety protocols put in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
James returned from an abdominal strain after eight games out but was unable to lift the Lakers who went down 130-108 to the Boston Celtics.
After 17 games in an 82-game season, the Lakers have an 8-9 record, having lost their past three games and seven of their past 10.
"We damn straight need to play better, no matter who's in the line-up," James said at a post-game news conference. "We have our system and we need to fast-track it and get better with it.
"It's never that we've got 65 games and we can figure it out. There's no level of panic but there should be some sense of urgency every time we hit the floor."
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said offensively his side needs to "get committed to playing as a team" while he labelled their rebounding (51-33) against the Celtics as "atrocious".
Russell Westbrook was among a host of new players added during the offseason at the Lakers and James said it was taking time for the side to develop cohesion.
The four-time NBA MVP also said patience was required having only just returned, along with starting forward Talen Horton-Tucker.
"As we continue to log more minutes, I continue to see where we're great at and not so good at," James said. "Things that we can improve on.
"Like I said, it's my first game in two and a half weeks. I believe it's Talen third or fourth game back. We're trying to figure out rotations and who to play when."
The Lakers led by eight points at quarter time and held the most slender advantage at the main break, before a 33-21 third quarter.
Vogel added: "We did not have a good third. We were stuck in mud. [But] it's about the whole game more than the third quarter.
"Our group has got to strike the balance of how we're going to play offensively. That's going to take some time. We have to get committed to playing as a team offensively.
"When we do, like we saw in the first quarter, it looks beautiful. You see the potential of what we can be."
James added that recovery from his first game back would be key to his short-term future as he rebuilds following his abdominal strain. The 36-year-old forward finished with 23 points and six rebounds on his return.
"Physically I felt okay. I know I can trust my body and play," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel when I wake up. That's the tell-tale sign if I'm moving in the right direction with my injury."
James was absent for the fifth straight game with injury as the Lakers went down 107-83 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, leaving them with a 7-6 record.
Vogel confirmed pre-game the 36-year-old's injury will not rule him out for an "extended stretch".
"LeBron, his rehab is progressing nicely," Vogel told reporters. "He's back to doing on the court basketball activity.
"This does not seem like it's going to be an extended stretch. He's to be considered truly day-to-day."
The Lakers had won three straight games before going 2-3 without James in the side over the past 10 days, suffering defeats to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Timberwolves.
Prior to featuring in all three games of that short winning run, James had also missed consecutive games with ankle soreness. LA are 3-4 for the year without him.
James has been averaging 24.8 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 46.7 per cent from the floor and 34.7 per cent from three-point range.
The Lakers were on the wrong end of a 40-12 third quarter against the Timberwolves, having been ahead at halftime.
Anthony Davis top scored with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Russell Westbrook had 20 points but five turnovers and an awful plus/minus of -32. Three of his turnovers came in the third quarter as he scored just three points in eight minutes.
"There's no better motivator than a bad loss," Vogel told reporters after the defeat. "I think a lot of our guys are angry. Our coaching staff are angry. We'll get back to work."
The four-time MVP has had an outstanding season for the Lakers, averaging a career-high 30.0 points per game, which is also the best in the NBA this season ahead of Joel Embiid (29.8) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.7).
James has played 54 of the Lakers' 73 games, shooting at 52 per cent from the field while averaging 8.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks.
The 37-year-old, however, has single-handedly carried the Lakers, who are 10th in the Western Conference and scrapping to make the Play-In Tournament.
"He is as deserving for MVP consideration as anybody in the league," Vogel told reporters on Friday.
"I know how the voting goes - the team with the best record or top couple of records usually gets most of those considerations, so the win-loss record definitely would probably hurt him.
"But you can't tell me that anybody has played a better season than LeBron James has this year."
Embiid, whose Philadelphia 76ers are 45-27, and Nikola Jokic, whose Denver Nuggets are 43-31, are the current favourites for the MVP, with James believed to be behind the likes of Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, DeMar DeRozan and Devin Booker.
The 76ers center is averaging 29.8 points with 48 per cent shooting from the field along with 11.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists this season.
Reigning MVP Jokic is averaging 26.2 points at 57 per cent shooting with 13.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists and has had a league-high 18 triple-doubles.
Superstar James registered a second consecutive triple-double in as many nights as the Lakers outclassed the NBA-worst Minnesota Timberwolves 137-121.
James, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, now needs just one more to rack up a landmark 100th career triple-double, while it marked his fifth of this season.
Prior to the All-Star game, the Lakers had lost six times in eight games but are now on a three-game winning streak, with James at the heart of team's impressive fortunes.
But Vogel insists it is merely a case of the team being hotter with the ball, saying: "I honestly don't think [James] has been playing that differently than what he was doing leading into the break
"I just think our shooters have come alive. I think we hit a little bit of a wall coming into the break, and then our shooters got their legs under them a little bit, and in the last three games they've been hitting shots, so his assist totals are up."
Several players contributed for the Lakers, with Dennis Schroder putting up 16 points and seven assists, while Kyle Kuzma also had 16 points.
Youngster Talen Horton-Tucker followed up an 18-point showing versus the Golden State Warriors with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The last two games have seen Horton-Tucker excel against two 2020 first-round draft picks in James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards, and James said the 20-year-old – selected in the second round in 2019 – will only continue to grow in stature.
"It's something we've talked about all year, if you go back to the draft Talen Horton-Tucker would not go in the second round," James said about his team-mate.
"We're super-duper lucky and blessed to grab him when we grabbed him. His ability to get downhill, his ability to get to the lane and finish or his ability to make the extra passes, he's a big guard, but with great handle and great balance.
"This is Talen's rookie year too pretty much, he's learning, he'll continue to get better, he's a damn good player right now he'll continue to get better and better."
The Lakers tossed away a 72-48 half-time lead when these teams tussled in October, and held a 50-36 cushion when they met again in early November, only to lose again.
On both prior occasions, James was absent. This time he was very much present, posting 13-of-20 shooting for 33 points in a 116-95 victory on Friday night.
With Anthony Davis (knee soreness) absent, James dazzled as he played a fourth consecutive game for the first time in what has been a stop-start season for the 36-year-old superstar.
In 15 games this season, James has scored 30 or more points in seven of them. More to the point, he has reached 30 in five of his last seven games.
Ankle and abdominal injuries have been a frustration for James this season, but he said after this latest showing: "I'm just getting healthier every day.
"My injury played a big part in me getting out of game shape, but also the dynamics of how I move and how I play left me kind of hampered at times. I've been able to see plays before they happen but not able to make them.
"But as I continue to get stronger and stronger and my injury continues to get closer and closer to 100 per cent, I'm able to go out there and do a lot of the things that I've been doing over my career that benefits our team. I'm happy the way I'm feeling as of late."
As a spectator, he had been as frustrated as anyone that the Lakers were unable to close out their previous games against Oklahoma this season.
"I was excited to play in this game just because of that reason," James said.
"I understood the leads that we built and me watching from the sidelines, seeing those leads evaporate and them celebrating on our floor last time they played us, and I couldn't do nothing but sit there and watch.
"They earned those wins, but I was looking forward to making an impact in this game and just trying to control the game how I know I can control the game on both sides of the floor, and I was lucky enough that my team-mates put some work in tonight and I just tried to lead them in the right direction."
The Lakers' win followed on from Thursday's 108-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, when James had a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists but wound up on the beaten team, his shooting not at its sharpest.
This time the Lakers logged a season-high 19 three-pointers, four of those from James with Avery Bradley netting six from behind the arc
Coach Frank Vogel saluted James' response, saying: "He was unbelievable tonight.
"I shouldn't say it surprises me, but it’s just incredible for him to play at such a high level. To perform the way he did tonight, not only just with his shot-making but his play-making and his will to take a tough loss last night and say, 'That’s not going to happen again'.
"The two losses we had against OKC where we built big leads and let them get back in it, he wasn't going to let that happen again tonight."
The Lakers, one of the pre-season favourites for the championship, are 12-12 after Friday's defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers and sit seventh in the Western Conference.
With a roster that boasts talent such as James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, more was expected from the 2020 champions, with coach Vogel coming in for recent criticism.
"I think criticism comes with the job, you know?" James said after practice on Monday. "Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we as his players have to do a better job of going out and producing on the floor.
"We're a team and an organization that don't mind some adversity, that don't mind people saying things about us, obviously, because it comes with the territory."
Vogel has an overall record of 106-61 (.635) with the Lakers, the sixth-best winning percentage of any coach in their history with at least 100 games.
James was back in the Lakers line-up for the Clippers game after returning two negative COVID-19 tests, posting 23 points and 11 rebounds in the 119-115 loss.
The 36-year-old entered the NBA's health and safety protocols last week, sitting out the 117-92 win over the Sacramento Kings due to a positive coronavirus test, but cleared the league's COVID protocols after additional testing confirmed the four-time champion and MVP was not a positive case.
"We have a lot of guys on this team that have been bulletin-board material for quite a long time, so it don't quite bother us," James added. "Everything that we do stays in house when it comes to our preparation and how we prepare for our next opponent and how we prepare to get better.
"Frank doesn't care and we don't either about what people are saying."
James returned from a six-week absence due to a right ankle sprain only to re-aggravate the injury after just two appearances for injury-hit NBA champions the Lakers.
The four-time MVP has since missed four straight games as the Lakers – seventh in the Western Conference – sit in the play-in positions in their playoff pursuit.
But James could reportedly return on Tuesday or Wednesday after Lakers head coach Frank Vogel provided an update following practice.
"He did participate in full practice. No update to his status tomorrow," Vogel told reporters on Monday. "General plan is to take it one day at a time. Nothing more than that."
Vogel added: "We did some drill work. We did some contrived scrimmages and we did a short, full scrimmage. And he did all of it."
James has been averaging 25.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the Lakers this season.
Through 43 games in 2020-21, James boasts a field-goal percentage of 51.3 – his best since 2017-18 and it is the same story regarding his three-point percentage of 36.6, which is his highest since that season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"What I've seen from LeBron today, he'll be fine. Trust me. He'll be fine," Lakers team-mate Anthony Davis said on Sunday, after inspiring a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns via 42 points and 12 rebounds.
"He's been in this game long enough. Obviously, he hasn't missed a ton of games, but he's been in this league long enough to be able to come back and lock in and do what he got to do to help the team.
"But I don't know what other teams are thinking. We know that we're confident against anybody we match up against, especially when we're fully healthy. That's our mindset.
"…We're going to come out and fight and I think teams know that just because we’re a lower seed we're not going to back down from anybody. We're going to come out and play Lakers basketball and I think teams know that and fear that as well."
James starred offensively with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, although it was the defence that claimed the headlines as they made more blocks than any other NBA team since March 2001.
Their tally of blocks was one shy of the Lakers' franchise record, and James insisted Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee made it easy for him to run the show offensively.
"I think it's an unbelievable, remarkable feat. They make it easy on us," James told reporters in the Lakers' locker room when asked about the team's defensive display.
"We try to contain these small, quick guards and attackers. To know that you have that safety net behind you is a hell of a luxury.
"We can pressure up on a lot of guards. This is a three-point shooting league. You can get beat a lot in this league with three-point shots, so we just try to force them wide.
"I don't think [block shots] is an underrated stat. Any time you can protect the rim or someone can get back and make a block. Some of the greatest block-shotters have dominated the history of the game.
"We have one in Dwight who has done it through the course of his career, JaVale and obviously AD. When you have guys who are able to change the trajectory of the shot and also either block the shot or make guards or forwards change their shot, it's key to the defence.
"When we acquired AD and when we re-signed JeVale we knew we'd be able to impact a lot of shots. When we acquired Dwight we knew we'd be able to add even more, so we know we can do certain things offensively that other teams can't because of the protection we have. We just try to take advantage of it."
"Obviously it was a huge factor in the game," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told a news conference.
"Our three big guys just played exceptional basketball. I think we as a group were not happy about giving up 68 points on the paint against the Pelicans. Those guys took a lot of pride in protecting our rim, 20 points is pretty special, the guys did a great job."
The Lakers lead the Western conference with a 29-7 record for the season.
James played 28 minutes in the Lakers' 122-115 win over the Indiana Pacers, scoring 24 points and adding eight assists and seven rebounds.
He had missed 26 of the Lakers' previous 28 games after hurting his ankle on March 20, but said he felt much better on Saturday than he had in his brief return to play two weeks ago.
"I felt pretty good -- a lot better than I did last time I suited up," James said.
"Just been putting in a lot of work, obviously off the floor, just getting my ankle right, getting my foot right, but I felt pretty good going into the game.
"I think every game I'll get better and better, but it was a good first test for me."
Lakers head coach George Vogel was pleased with what he saw, though he did not indicate how much James might play in Sunday's regular-season finale.
"I think he looked really good," Vogel said. "Obviously it's still going to take time before he gets to a 100 per cent but I thought most of the game he was in control and looked like his old self."
The key indicator for James was the way he felt in the second half.
The last time he played, May 2 against the Toronto Raptors, his leg and ankle grew noticeably stiff at halftime. There were no such issues Saturday.
"Being in the Toronto game just gave me a sense of where I was as far as my ankle, physically, but I needed that. I needed that test to see where I was then to know where I needed to go," James added.
"Today was another opportunity to see where I'm at and how far I can go, too. I've still got some more room for improvement as far as my ankle, my mobility and my strength, but I'm 10 times better than I was in that Toronto game and I believe I can get five to 10 times better in the future.
"The more games that we have, the more opportunity I have to continue to strengthen it, strengthen everything around it, and continue to get better.
"We've got a great team. I've got a great team around me. My trainer's on me every single day, and I'm on myself about doing what I can do to be available to this team and controlling what I can control. That's all I can worry about."
The Lakers enter Sunday level with the Portland Trail Blazers at 41-30, with the final spot in the Western Conference top six on the line.
Los Angeles will play at the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, with both games starting at the same time. The Lakers need to win and have Portland lose to avoid the play-in tournament, as the Blazers own the tie-breaker between the two.
James said it does not matter to him or the team which seed the Lakers end up getting.
"Let the chips fall where they may. Simple as that," he said. "We're ready to go."
James ended up staying in the game, and went on to score 39 points on 14-of-27 shooting, but he admitted after the game that it was more serious than he hoped.
After scoring 69 points in the first half, the Lakers were a different side after the break, scoring just 39 points over the final two quarters while the Pelicans scored 41 in the third quarter alone.
Speaking to post-game media, James said he would have "probably not" finished the game if he did not feel it was a crucial fixture for his side.
"I have no idea how I finished the game after watching the replay, it was pretty nasty," he said.
"I lost all explosiveness… a lot of my game was on the perimeter after that. It's horrible right now.
"From the time that I turned my ankle I felt a sharp pain run up my leg and get hot, and I've been there with ankle sprains before, but I didn't want to come out of the game.
"I understood how big of a game it was for us."
James was blunt when describing how it felt to come up short in a game that was built up as a near must-win internally.
"It feels like sh** – excuse my language, but that's what it feels like," he said.
"I came in with the mindset understanding that it was a playoff-type atmosphere with playoff implications.
"We also have a lot of guys in our ball club who haven't played in playoff games as well… [New Orleans] have guys who have been in the postseason.
"It feels like a wasted opportunity."
Also speaking with post-game media, head coach Frank Vogel preached urgency as the playoffs rapidly approach.
"Time's running out on us – we came out with the proper urgency for this game, but weren't able to close it," he said.
"It's over, this game is over, and we have to turn the page to the next one.
"It's not good – it hurts, this was a big game – but we have to regroup and find a way to beat Dallas and get some wins down the stretch here."
On James' injury, Vogel said it was a brave effort to stick it out until the end.
"It's tough – it has been that kind of season, and [James] was in an incredible groove when it happened," he said.
"Credit to him for toughing it out – you could see that he was limited on it somewhat the rest of the way, but he battled through it."
