The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz (131-99) early Wednesday morning to become the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the new NBA In-Season Tournament cup tournament, a milestone achieved as they were also undefeated.
The night was complete for the Angelenos as LeBron James, who added 17 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, made his mark in basketball history a little deeper by becoming the first player to reach 39,000 points. About to turn 39, LeBron continues to play at an extraordinary level in his 21st season in the league.
Last February, the Lakers star surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) to become the top scorer in NBA history, which in its official record only takes into account the points scored in the regular season.
King James’ magnificent career includes milestones such as his four NBA titles (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020) and his four regular season MVPs (2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013).
Against the Jazz, in addition to James’ record, Anthony Davis especially shone, finishing with 26 points and 16 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell also had a good evening, with 20 points and 8 assists.
With the game still completely under control in the third quarter, James left the game with 4m45s left in that quarter and Davis, with 1m45s left. This way they were able to enjoy an extra rest since the Lakers play two nights in a row, with their second date being against the Dallas Mavericks.
