LeBron James passed Karl Malone for second place on the list of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Now, he is second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
But the Lakers squandered another spectacular performance from their star.
Los Angeles suffered another loss on Saturday, 127-119 against the Washington Wizards, who overcame a 16-point deficit.
James failed to properly appreciate his milestone, following the loss.
“Obviously, there will be a day when I can look back on this moment. But for now, I can’t separate the feeling I have from this,” she explained. “We had a great opportunity to pick up some pace in the campaign.”
James had 38 points, while Russell Westbrook added 22 in his return to Washington. However, a smaller lineup couldn’t stop Kristaps Porzingis.
The 7-foot-3-inch (2.20-meter) Latvian scored 27 points, including 16 in the final period.
Porzingis hit a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to put the Wizards up by six. James was unable to respond at the other end of the court.
Washington outscored the Lakers by 34 points to 20 in the fourth quarter.
Now, James trails only Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points, the all-time leading scorer. He entered the game 19 points behind Malone, who had 36,928.
The record seems within reach for James, if he stays healthy.
“I don’t allow myself to think about that. I’ve always played this game like that, for years, and these things have just happened organically, by playing the right way,” James said. “I hope to achieve that at some point in my career, but I won’t think too much about it.”
After getting six points in the first period, the star shone in the second, with a performance that included a dunk and three triples.
The last of those 3-pointers allowed him to catch up with Malone. He passed him with 5:20 remaining in the third period on a layup.
–
