LeBron inches closer to Kareem
LeBron James had 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and pulled within 63 points of becoming the NBA’s career scoring champ as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the host Indiana Pacers 112-111 on Thursday.
James gave Los Angeles its first lead on a 3-pointer with 2:35 left, and Anthony Davis’ 11-footer with 35.1 seconds left was the decisive basket. Davis had 31 points and 14 rebounds.
Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 24 points and new AllStar Tyrese Haliburton added 26 points and 12 assists in his first game in three weeks. But Buddy Hield’s 17-foot jumper clanked off the rim in the closing seconds as Indiana lost its fourth in a row.
One of Indiana’s largest crowds of the season cheered James warmly throughout the fourth quarter, roaring loudly each time he scored.
On Thursday, James became the second player to top the 38,300-point mark and left town with 38,325. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the NBA’s scoring record with 38,387 points.
Cavaliers 128, Grizzlies 113: Darius Garland had 32 points shortly after being left off the All-Star team and carried host Cleveland after Donovan Mitchell’s ejection. All-Star Ja Morant had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Memphis.
Knicks 106, Heat 104: RJ Barrett rebounded from a late-game benching with 30 points and host New York beat Miami. Bam Adebayo finished with 32 points and nine rebounds for the Heat.
Bulls 114, Hornets 98: Ayo Dosunmu scored 22 points, Coby White added 20 and host Chicago overcame shaky outings by DeMar DeRozan (15 points) and Zach LaVine (10) to beat Charlotte. Terry Rozier scored 23 points for the Hornets.