Lakers fall to Thunder on LeBron’s historic night.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers' struggles with inconsistency continued in Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder, falling to Oklahoma City 133–130 on LeBron’s historic night of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in all-time scoring in NBA history.
With under 20 seconds left in the third quarter, LeBron James’ achievement of greatness came on a fadeaway jumper from the elbow, passing NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 38,388 points, making him the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association.
“I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about,” said LeBron while addressing the crowd.
LeBron finished with a game-high 38 points on 65% shooting, going 4-for-6 (66%) from three and 13-for-20 overall from the field, adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 33 minutes.
Despite shooting 45% (14-for-31) from three and 57% (49-for-85) from the field, the Lakers' efforts weren't enough against a Thunder team that couldn't miss from the floor, going 50% (17-for-34) from three and 52% (49-for-94) overall.
Russell Westbrook was the only other player to give the Lakers a consistent scoring production, scoring 27 points on 52% shooting, notching 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in 27 minutes.
In a game where the mismatch was on the Lakers' side, Anthony Davis didn't take advantage of an Oklahoma City team that lacked size in the paint, scoring just 13 points in 30 minutes of Tuesday’s loss.
The Lakers' next matchup stays at home this Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 PM on Spectrum SportsNet and TNT.
