As his minutes pile up, LeBron James continues to fuel Lakers. Will it come at a cost?

LOS ANGELES — It was a moment to savor.

With about 2 ½ minutes left in overtime Wednesday night, as the Los Angeles Lakers clawed their way to a 130-125 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers forward Austin Reaves swiped the ball from Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.

"At no point I got that ball did I think I was going to shoot it," Reaves said later.

Because as he dribbled down the court, Reaves spotted LeBron James trailing behind him. Reaves lofted an over-the-shoulder lob.

James slammed it through the hoop, punctuating a masterful performance – 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting, 12 rebounds, seven assists – that prompted a fretful question.

Will James, who turns 39 in December, have enough energy to lead the Lakers in a quest for the franchise’s 17th NBA championship?

In the season opener, he played only 29 minutes – six and a half minutes fewer than his average last season. The team signaled it was part of a plan to keep James fresh for the playoffs.

But over the following four games, he has averaged 37.3 minutes a game compared to his average of 35.5 minutes last season.

"But we’ll do a good job as the season goes along to make sure we’re in the wheelhouse where we want to be," James said.

Why is LeBron James playing so many minutes?

Simply put, the Lakers have needed James on the floor to get off to a solid 3-2 start.

In those three victories, won by a combined 13 points, James has logged 36.7 minutes per game. He also logged 39 minutes in a winnable game against the Sacramento Kings in which the Lakers lost in overtime.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his competitive nature, along James' same drive in close games, has led to the King playing more than originally planned. That’s in part a function of the Lakers still developing continuity.

Then came Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena, with four of the Lakers' top eight players out with an assortment of ailments.

The game demonstrated the Lakers depth, with reserves Cam Reddish, Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood all making significant contributions. Nonetheless, once again it was James leading the Lakers down the stretch. And relishing the monster dunk rather than settle for an energy-conserving layup.

"These fans always love the fast break here, so to finish it with an alley-oop at that point in time to have us go up five, to have (the Clippers) call a timeout, with the crowd keep going and things of that nature, big time momentum play for us," James said.

LeBron James in crunchtime

Anthony Davis has the ability to carry the Lakers. But through five games, it’s once again evident who relishes that role most.

"If we keep the game close, I feel like when we’re in the fourth quarter, that’s when I’m at my best," James said. "And if the game is close, I feel like I can make plays to help us win the ballgame."

The stats back that up.

In the fourth quarter against the Clippers, James was 5-for-6 shooting from the floor and had four assists, three rebounds and a steal.

In overtime, he had three rebounds, made one of his two shots from the floor and steadied the team as an unofficial coach amid the frenzy.

"I mean, he took over," Ham said.