TORONTO — LeBron James was aware that his impressive streak of scoring double digits was at risk. Yet, in that moment, it didn’t matter to him.
The best decision was to pass the ball — which he did. Consequently, his streak came to a halt.
James’ remarkable run of 1,297 consecutive games scoring in double digits came to a close Thursday night, as the NBA’s all-time points leader was limited to eight points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors. He provided the game-winning assist to Rui Hachimura for a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.
After the game, he was inquired about his feelings on the end of the streak.
«None,» James replied. «We won.»
James had the choice to attempt to secure the win — and maintain the streak — during the last possession, but he instead passed to Hachimura positioned in the corner. Hachimura made the shot, and James raised his arms in triumph.
«Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play,» James expressed. «That’s always been my approach. It’s how I learned the game. I’ve maintained that throughout my career.»
«LeBron is fully conscious of his scoring total at that moment,» Lakers coach JJ Redick remarked. «He executed like he has countless times in the past.»
James re-entered the game for the final stretch with 5:23 remaining, with both the game’s outcome and the streak up for grabs. At that time, he had six points on 3-of-15 shooting. He managed to score with 1:46 left to equalize the score and then missed a 14-footer with 1:01 on the clock that would have brought him into double digits.
He chose not to take another shot — though he could have. Austin Reaves passed the ball to James with mere seconds left, but James decided to assist instead.
«If you approach it the right way, the basketball gods tend to reward you,» Redick stated.
James’ streak commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It was, by a significant margin, the longest such streak in NBA history: Michael Jordan had 866 consecutive games scoring in double digits, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 787, and Karl Malone held the fourth-longest with 575.
For active players, you would need to combine the streaks of the 11 players trailing him to exceed his total of 1,297 consecutive games. Kevin Durant currently holds the record for active players with 267 consecutive games.
«He’s an exceptionally selfless player,» Lakers center Jake LaRavia commented. «He’s simply immersed in the game of basketball. He had the chance but chose to make the unselfish pass to Rui, allowing us to clinch the game.»
It was typically an afterthought well before the fourth quarter began. Throughout James’ streak, he had reached double digits by the start of the fourth quarter 1,266 times leading into Thursday.
However, two of those games with single-digit scores at three quarters had occurred recently: he had nine points going into the fourth against Dallas on Nov. 28 and six points going into the fourth against Phoenix on Monday night.
James succeeded in keeping the streak alive against the Suns. Just one game later, it was over — but he still celebrated.
«I always strive to make the right play. That’s automatic, regardless of the outcome,» James stated. «You make the right play, and the basketball gods tend to favor you.»
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
