LeBron James shouted out Caitlin Clark.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have picked up the pace just a bit as the season enters its unofficial midway point (more like 3/5 point) at this week’s NBA All-Star weekend from Indianapolis.

James has continued playing at an All-NBA level despite recently turning 39 years of age, and the Lakers are now firmly in play-in position with the potential to move up even higher during the home stretch of the campaign.

One trend that has overtaken the entire NBA in recent years is the explosion of scoring that has occurred.

We have already witnessed multiple 70-plus point games this season from Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic, and 50-point games are becoming less and less noteworthy.

LeBron James himself, being the basketball savant that he is, has a bit of an idea as to how certain defenses have led to the scoring outburst, referencing a recent 49-point explosion from Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark in the process.

“A lot of you guys have asked, ‘What does it feel like to be in a zone?’

Once a guy is a zone, there’s nothing you can do,” James said, per Zach Harper and Law Murray of The Athletic.

“Once a guy decides he wants to stay in a zone – or you’re seeing Caitlin the other night, when she broke the record – there’s nothing you can do.”

Indeed, in the modern NBA landscape, it’s essentially impossible to consistently lock a team down for under 110 or so points. James and the Lakers, meanwhile, will hope to use the All-Star break to rest up for the home stretch.