LeBron James didn’t have to worry about carrying the Los Angeles Lakers with a strong dunk, a well-timed jumper, or a stunning 3-pointer for once. James sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 131-99. The Lakers (9-6) required just 17 minutes from James, who scored 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting and dished out nine assists, while the Jazz (4-10) struggled without second-year center Walker Kessler. James left the court with 3:45 left in the third quarter, far before the Lakers officially won a position in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s In-Season tournament with a 4-0 record in Group Play.
Even on a rare night when James, 38, did not have to defy Father Time, the Lakers’ star achieved another milestone. Nearly nine and a half months after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time top scorer, James became the first player to reach 39,000 points in his career.
James, who has 39,012 points and counting, surpassed the milestone with a 3-pointer with 7:11 left in the first quarter. Following the Lakers’ break at 6:52, public address announcer Lawrence Tanter praised James on his latest accomplishment. Perhaps not. Tanter instantly raised his hand towards the audience after congratulating James before returning his attention to the game.
James has averaged 26.4 points, 58.6% from the field, 39.7% from three, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in his 21st NBA season. James is on pace to match his career scoring average while also exceeding his career norms in rebounds (7.5), shooting percentage overall (50.5%), and from deep (34.5%). All of this is related to the American power forward’s workload.
There have been so many great players that have come across this league since the beginning of the time, James said. There are so many great scorers. To be able to accomplish something that is the first of anything, it’s always pretty cool. It’s a ‘Wow moment, the American added.
It is just 39,000, not 40. So, he didn’t get the game ball tonight, Lakers coach Darvin Ham joked. If he gets 40K, he’ll get the game ball. Ham said the things in a lighthearted and sarcastic tone. Prior to that, Ham stated that we’re witnessing something unprecedented and not taking it for granted. Since limiting James to 29 minutes in the Lakers’ season-opening loss to Denver, Ham has wanted to preserve James’ health and efficiency for an 82-game season and possibly a championship run.
