LeBron James passed Karl Malone in the NBA All-time leading scorer list, leaving him alone in the second place behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James received a standing ovation in Washington. After a six-point first quarter, James went on a scoring tear in the second that included a dunk and three 3-pointers.
The last of those 3s brought him even with Malone. Then he made a layup off a backdoor cut with 5:20 left in the quarter to move ahead.
“He had another milestone, which is incredible. We have to appreciate him while he’s here and still playing and putting up those kind of numbers and playing at this level, which is absolutely out of this world. Hat off to him and what he’s been able to do in his career,” Kristaps Porzingis told reporters, via NBC Sports Washington.
James will have a chance to surpass Jabbar if he remains healthy. Jabbar’s record of 38,387 is in reach if James continues in the same pace.
”I will not allow myself to think about it. I’ve always just played the game the way I’ve been playing it over the years, and these things have just happened organically by just going out and playing the game the right way,” James told reporters. ”Hope to accomplish that at some point in my career, but I won’t think about it too much.”
Last night, James exploded for 38 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field. Prior to the game, he needed just 19 points to achieve the historic milestone.
It’s been a pretty miserable season for the Lakers, but James’ record-setting night will at least bring a little joy to the team. The Lakers were ahead in the fourth quarter, but they allowed Washington to make a 34-20 run in the fourth quarter and win 119-127.
The Wizards are out of the play-in contention for now, having a 30-40 record. They are five games out of the last spot that leads in the play-in tournament. The Lakers are still in shape to make the play-in, despite having a worse record (30-41) than Washington.
”Obviously at some point I’ll be able to look back at this moment, but right now the feeling I have – I can’t separate it,” James said. ”We had a great opportunity to pick up some more momentum.”
The Lakers, who were coming off a big road win against the Raptors, had the last back-to-back victories in a four-game winning streak from Dec. 31 to Jan. 7.
Standing ovation for @KingJames after another historic moment in his legendary #NBA career#LakeShow https://t.co/xmfsL4hlv2 — Hedge_out (@hedge_out) March 20, 2022
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