LeBron James hopes to make special memories with the Los Angeles Lakers after scoring a season-high 51 points against the Miami Heat.

Returning to face his old team at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, James inspired the Lakers to a 113-97 win as he posted a total of 51 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes of action to improve the team's regular season record to 9-7.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points while Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram combined for 28, but it was all about James as he continued to make history by becoming just the fifth player to score 50-plus points for three different teams.

In total, it was his 12th career 50-point game, but rather than talking about his achievement, he focused more on the team and how they got back to winning ways following Saturday's loss to the Orlando Magic.

"You know after our performance last night, that cross-country travel caught up to us in Orlando in that second, third and fourth," James said after the game. "We had to come out with a lot of energy, we know how hard this team plays, how well they play at home and it was a good road win for us."

James continued his hot run of three-point scoring by shooting six-for-eight against Miami and 19-for-31 in total field goals, and it's all a result of the work he's been putting in recently.

"Yeah absolutely, I put a lot of work into my craft," he explained. "Been shooting a lot of threes, a lot of mid-range, free throws, just trying to get my timing back so it's good to see when the work pays off."

Despite leaving Miami in 2014 when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it still means a lot for the 33-year-old whenever he returns to the American Airlines Center.

He will be returning to Cleveland next for the first time since his second departure this year and hopes to make special memories in Los Angeles like he's done with his previous teams.

"Absolutely man. I got a lot of special memories here, got a lot of special memories in Cleveland," he added. "I'm trying to have some special memories here too as a Laker so hopefully I can continue it but it's always special to go back where you've done something well."

The Lakers have certainly improved in recent weeks.

They started the 2018/19 campaign going 2-5 with James notably stating after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that the team can't keep calling for patience after their losses.

"We got to get better. We know that," James said last month. "We talk about patience, but we can't have a recurrence of the same thing. Doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. That's insanity. We have to continue to get better."

Since then, however, they have gone on a 7-2 run and look like they will only improve as their new roster continues to gel with each other. They will take on the struggling Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday next.