LeBron James gets close to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Knicks lose to the Lakers in overtime
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| LeBron James closes on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Lakers beat Knicks in OT |
(AP) — NEW YORK LeBron James will soon have more points than anyone else in the NBA, but that was never his goal.
He's also one of the best passers in the game. Putting the two together — maybe better than anyone else ever — is what makes him the most proud.
James said, "I didn't get to this point in my career by thinking about my records or how many points I have." "I just know how to play the game right. Every night, I go into the game with the goal of being a "triple threat" who can score, grab rebounds, pass the ball, and defend.
James got a triple-double in his return to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 129-123. He is now only 89 points away from breaking the NBA's career scoring record. He also moved up to fourth place on the list of most assists.
James scored 28 points, had 11 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds. He now has 38,299 points in his career. With 38,387 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is in first place.
But James' game has always been about more than just scoring, as he showed again Tuesday. With 3:13 left, he passed the ball to Dennis Schroder for a 3-pointer that broke a 118-118 tie. Later in overtime, he got his 10th rebound and then drove to the basket for a 127-121 lead with 19 seconds left.
"He does everything," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of Kobe. "Great players do things like that. All-time greats do things like that, and he's right up there with the best of them."
During his first game at Madison Square Garden in three years, James moved past Mark Jackson and then Steve Nash to move into fourth place on the list of assists.
Anthony Davis scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lakers, who had lost their first two games on their road trip. James and Davis didn't play in Monday's loss in Brooklyn.
The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson's 37 points and Julius Randle's 23 points and 12 rebounds.
With 1:41 left in regulation, James made a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 114-108 lead, but he then missed two long jump shots that could have won the game. Brunson scored for the Knicks to tie the game at 114. After James passed the ball to Davis near the basket, Brunson stepped in to draw an offensive foul. But Randle couldn't get a shot off in time on the Knicks' last possession, sending the Lakers to overtime for the second time in three games.
James didn't play on Monday because his coach Darvin Ham said his left foot hurt, even though the Lakers said it was his ankle. In the morning, they said he wasn't sure if he would play, but after a good pregame workout, they changed that to "available."
After getting hurt two years ago and getting suspended last season for hitting Isaiah Stewart of Detroit in the face, he didn't want to miss this game. On January 22, 2000, he played his last game here. He was just a few days away from passing Kobe Bryant and moving into third place on the all-time scoring list.
Now, Abdul-Jabbar is the only player left to catch. This could happen in the next 10 days.
The game was tied at 90 when James set up Troy Brown Jr. for a 3-pointer with his eighth assist. He then set up Thomas Bryant for a dunk, which moved him past Jackson and then Nash into fourth place for assists. He has helped 10,338 people.
James has said that MSG is one of his favorite places to play, and during this visit, celebrities like Michael J. Fox, Michael B. Jordan, Emma Stone, and Chris Rock were in the sold-out crowd. Fans filled the lower sections of the arena just to see James warm up, but once the game started, he struggled to give them one of his old-school performances.
As part of his 2-for-8 start, he shot an air ball in the second quarter. He made his last two shots of the half, though, and then gave Schroder a pass that he threw in from halfcourt to beat the buzzer and cut the score to 53-52 at halftime.
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