LeBron James has reached the next milestone for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, the 40-year-old became the first player in NBA history to break the 50,000-point barrier. The Lakers won 136-115.
LeBron James was one point short of becoming the first player in history to reach 50,000 points in the regular season and playoffs combined, and after a good three minutes, he made it. Luka Doncic found James free at the three-point line, and the forward confidently converted his first shot.
They were his only points in this period, but the Lakers quickly took a clear lead as Doncic scored 17 of his 30 points (9/19 FG, 6/13 3pt, 15 assists) in the first twelve minutes. Zion Williamson did manage to equalize for the visitors from New Orleans, but after that the Lakers tightened the reins again and found Jaxson Hayes (19, 8/8, 10 rebounds) in the zone several times.
LeBron and Doncic with over 30 points
The Lakers never looked back, with Doncic and LeBron almost single-handedly ensuring that they would hold on to the lead. James finished with 34 points (10/18), eight rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes. Williamson was the best player for New Orleans, scoring a total of 37 points (17/23) in just 26 minutes with some spectacular actions.
With their seventh win in a row, the Lakers claim second place in the West, but the gap to leaders OKC remains 10.5 games. New Orleans (17-45) remains second-to-last in the Western Conference. You can find everything else about the games of the night here, including the Orlando Magic’s dramatic loss to the Toronto Raptors.
