LOS
ANGELES, United States —
LeBron James moved into second place on the NBA’s
all-time regular-season points scoring rankings on Saturday but could not
prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from slumping to defeat against the Washington
Wizards.
اضافة اعلان
James produced a typically virtuoso
performance to finish with 38 points and 10 rebounds at the Wizards’ Capital
One Arena.
That was enough to power James past Karl
Malone into second place in the regular season scorers rankings with 36,947
points.
But it did not stop the Lakers from sliding
to a jarring 127–119 loss against a Wizards side which had been on a six-game
losing streak.
“Just to be a part of this league for as many
years as I’ve been a part of it, to be linked with some of the greatest to ever
play this game, guys I’ve watched or studied, or read about, or inspired to be
like, I’m just lost for words for it,” James said of his scoring achievement.
“It’s an honor for myself, for my friends and
family to live these moments, for anyone who’s shared my journey.”
James -– who holds the
NBA’s outright scoring
record for regular season and playoff games — started the game needing just 20
points to surpass Malone’s regular-season total of 36,928.
James wasted no time in hunting down Malone’s
benchmark, rapidly reaching double figures before moving to 16 points with
back-to-back three-pointers early in the second quarter.
The four-time NBA champion then added another
three-pointer to tie Malone, before finally taking sole possession of second
place with a two-point layup with just over five minutes left in the second
quarter.
The
Washington crowd gave James an ovation
after he reached the milestone, with the Lakers star saluting fans as he basked
in the applause.
James’ points haul leaves him within range of
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time record of 38,387 points.
But James’ celebratory moment was diminished
after the Lakers suffered another fourth-quarter collapse to allow the Wizards
to claim victory.
The Wizards outscored the Lakers 34–20 in the
final period, completing a comeback from a 16-point deficit to grab the win.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Washington
comeback with 16 points in the fourth quarter, part of an overall tally of 27
points.
Lakers coach
Frank Vogel saluted James’
scoring achievement despite the loss.
“It’s bittersweet but I think it’s important
to separate it,” Vogel said.
“We can’t get caught up in the pain of this
loss, and have to recognize what an incredible feat this was.”
“LeBron just attacked the game tonight. Just
a signature performance in a game where he passes one of the greats.”
James said he was unable to let his scoring
moment eclipse the sting of defeat.
“At the end of the day all I care about is
wins and losses,” he said. “I’m sure someday I’ll be able to look back at this
moment, but right now I can’t separate it.”
“We had a great opportunity to pick up some
more momentum, and played well enough to win this game through 36 minutes, but
in the last quarter we let it go.”
Talk
of the Towns
Elsewhere
on Saturday,
Karl-Anthony Towns kept up his scoring streak with 25 points as
the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of the injury absence of Giannis
Antetokounmpo to rout the Milwaukee Bucks 138–119.
Towns, who has averaged just under 40 points
a game in three appearances this week after a monster 60-point outing on
Monday, was six-of-12 from the field, with 11 rebounds and five assists at
Minnesota’s Target Center.
The 26-year-old’s form has helped the
Timberwolves to a four-game winning streak, victories which keep the club
firmly in the hunt for an automatic playoff berth.
Saturday’s win leaves the
Timberwolves in
seventh place in the Western Conference standings, level with sixth-placed
Denver with 42 wins.
The reigning NBA champion Bucks meanwhile
dropped to third in the Eastern Conference standings at 44-27.
In Charlotte,
Luka Doncic erupted for 37
points but it could not prevent the Dallas Mavericks slumping to an upset
129–108 blowout against the Hornets.
Miles Bridges led the Hornets scorers with 23 points,
part of a balanced offensive effort that saw no fewer than seven Charlotte
players post double-digit points totals.
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