Lebron 89 points behind Kareem
Lebron James closed in further on the NBA’S all-time scoring record Tuesday night with a team-high 28 points as his Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime.
It was James’ first appearance at Madison Square Garden in three years after missing last season’s visit by the Lakers because of a suspension and the game the season before with an injury.
James has scored 38,299 points in regularseason play, leaving him 89 points away from Kareem Abdul-jabbar’s record. Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan round out the top five.
The top active player behind James is Kevin Durant in 14th place, lagging by more than 11,000 points.
James is averaging 30.2 points a game this season. Should he score 30 at Indiana on Thursday and at New Orleans on Saturday, he would need 29 points Feb. 7 at home against Oklahoma City to break the record.
Failing that, the record likely would fall in James’ next game Feb. 9 at home against Milwaukee.
Of course, James is more than a scorer, and he showed that Tuesday night by recording a triple-double with 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
It was less noticed, but Tuesday night James also moved into fourth place on the career assists list, behind only John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul.
“That’s what I love to do, get my guys involved,” James said after the game.
James also ranks 32nd in rebounds, ninth in steals and ninth in 3pointers made. He has been selected to six alldefensive teams.
Pistons stranded in Texas ice storm
The Pistons-wizards game scheduled for Wednesday night in Detroit was postponed after the Pistons got stuck in Dallas in the ice storm wreaking havoc across Texas, the NBA announced, adding that the game would be rescheduled later.
The Pistons played at Dallas on Monday night but couldn’t fly out. They sat on the tarmac for hours Tuesday before finally getting off the plane, according to The Athletic.
Dallas/fort Worth International Airport has had more than 1,300 flights canceled as of Wednesday afternoon, according to flight-tracking site Flightaware, including more than 1,000 on Tuesday.
The Pistons still hadn’t arrived back in Detroit as of early Wednesday afternoon.
The Wizards are in Detroit and went through shootaround Wednesday morning.
They’ll head back to Washington to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
The Pistons have backto-back home games against the Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns on Friday and Saturday, so moving the Wizards game to Thursday wasn’t an option.