Overnight! Lakers' James Celebrates Double Joy, Leonard Confirms Return, Butler Officially Suspended
On January 4th, Beijing time, the latest round of NBA regular season games have all concluded. In addition to the thrilling matches on the court, several significant off-court developments have emerged overnight in the league, including double joy for the Lakers and James, Leonard's confirmed return, and Butler's official suspension.
For the Lakers, they defeated the Hawks 119-102 under the leadership of James, successfully overtaking the Mavericks and Nuggets to rise to fourth in the Western Conference. In addition, the team's new backcourt duo, Reeves and Christie, have been performing exceptionally well in recent games. Notably, Christie has scored 16 points against the Warriors, 16 points against the Kings, 28 points against the Blazers, and 9 points against the Hawks in his last five games, except for a less-than-ideal performance of only 5 points against the Cavaliers. Christie has now become an important contributor to the Lakers' quest to return to championship contention.
Regarding James, he scored an impressive 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists in the game against the Hawks, marking the 563rd time in his career that he has scored over 30 points, surpassing Jordan to become the undisputed historical first. With time, James is very likely to refresh this record to 600 games, making it one of the hardest records to break in NBA history. It can be said responsibly that James, both in terms of statistics and honors, has now surpassed Jordan to become the undisputed greatest player in history.
As for Leonard, since his injury withdrawal in the first round of last year's playoffs against the Mavericks, he has missed a significant number of games. Clippers fans have almost forgotten about their superstar, as the team has produced a good chemistry under the leadership of Harden and Powell this season, with their record currently stable in the top eight in the West. It is reported that Leonard will make his return in the next game against the Hawks. As the Clippers' ace, regardless of how fans criticize his load management, Leonard's return will be a huge help to the team.
In terms of the Heat, on January 4th, Beijing time, the Heat announced an important decision, officially notifying Butler of a seven-game suspension and salary deduction. The team stated that Butler's recent actions and remarks have deeply hurt the team. At the same time, the Heat has abandoned plans to continue working with Butler, officially informing the other 29 teams in the league to listen to offers for Butler.
It is understood that after the Heat's talks with Butler regarding contract renewal broke down during the offseason, Butler's team began planning a trade departure. Initially, the Heat intended to retain him, but as Butler repeatedly publicly expressed his willingness to join any team except the Heat, the management finally could not tolerate it and threatened Butler with a suspension after the game against the Pelicans. However, Butler was not one to back down, insisting on a trade, which led to the Heat imposing severe penalties internally, completely tearing apart the relationship between the two sides. Butler has now officially withdrawn from the team for seven games, waiting for the progress of the Heat's trade discussions.