Bobcats at Heat final score: LeBron James scores 61 points, leads Miami past Charlotte 124-107

LeBron James went out of his mind Monday night. James scored a career-high 61 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 124-107 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. 

James was incredibly efficient, shooting 22-of-33 from the field, eight-of-10 from beyond the arc and nine-of-12 from the free throw line.

The 61 points broke Glen Rice’s Heat franchise record of 56 (Rice set the record in 123-117 victory over the Orlando Magic on April 15, 1995) and was the second most points scored in a game this season (Carmelo Anthony scored 62 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 125-96 victory over these same Charlotte Bobcats on January 24).

Even though the Bobcats gave up a monster game to Anthony as well, they are no slouch on defense. They entered the game with a defensive rating of 101.0, sixth best in the league.

James played 41 minutes in the absence of star guard Dwyane Wade, who missed the game to rest, according to Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. James still managed to grab seven rebounds and dish out five assists. Plus, he only turned the ball over twice.

Lost in the shuffle will be the performance of Bobcats’ power forward Al Jefferson. He scored 38 points on 18-0f-24 shooting and grabbed 19 rebounds.

The Heat are now 43-14 while the Bobcats are 27-33.