os Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday at Paycom Center to help the team snap a four-game skid and admitted after the game that they are in “desperate times.”

James, 38, scored more points than his age for the first time this season and said during the postgame interview with Mike Trudel that it was their first “must win” match of the year.

“This was one of the first must-win games for us this season,” James said. “We was desperate for a win tonight, so desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Lakers tried a new starting lineup against the Thunder, benching D’Angelo Russell for Jarred Vanderbilt to add defensive prowess and length.

LeBron James speaks on the importance of winning tonight and the difference with the new starting lineup. pic.twitter.com/5ztox79lrf

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 24, 2023

LeBron James explains key to win over Thunder

James took over in the fourth quarter for the Lakers to lead them on a huge scoring run and secure the victory. During his postgame press conference, he said it feels good to “know I can go out and still make game-winning plays, can affect the game in multiple ways and can still close out a game in the fourth quarter.”

He also gave credit to the rest of his teammates and explained what was the key to their success over OKC.

“Everyone was making shots and everybody was passing the ball,” James said. “We were trying to keep it on time, on target and not turn the ball over. That was the key to it.”