LeBron James, despite being in his 21st season, continues to be very productive. As a result, he continues to climb the ladder of career statistical milestones. Early in the second quarter of Saturday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, he scored his 40,000th NBA point.
His production, not to mention his efficiency, has held up so far this season, as has, for the most part, his health. He shot 12-of-20 overall to score 26 points, to go along with nine assists, on Saturday versus the defending world champs, and he scored half of those 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Lakers lost, 124-114. It led James to say that reaching 40,000 career points was bittersweet.
LeBron talks 40,000 points, Lakers' loss to Denver, advice to younger self: https://t.co/Y1uMwlreeU
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 3, 2024
“Obviously, I’m never thinking about a milestone when I’m out there battling. But when it happens, obviously we acknowledge it,” James said. “Obviously, much respect and much loyalty to the Laker fan base for showing me that love during the timeout. Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, cause you just know the history, you know the greats that’s come through the league. And then you see some of the greats that was on the floor tonight. It was just great to compete versus that.
“But for me, the main thing is always the main thing, and that’s to win. I just hate that it had to happen in a defeat, especially versus a team that plays extremely well. And we played some good basketball tonight but wasn’t able to close it out. So, bittersweet. But I enjoyed every moment tonight though out on the floor.”
It was L.A.’s eighth consecutive loss to the Nuggets dating to last January. Even though it led by double digits at one point in the first half, the team got away from its free-flowing up-tempo game in the third quarter. In crunch time, its offense seems to grind to a halt.
A 9-0 run with a few minutes left in the game ensured a Denver win. At this point, such late-game runs seem inevitable when these teams face off.