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LeBron James continues to march ever closer to the regular season scoring record set by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. After returning from injury earlier this season, James closed out the year with several impressive performances before then continuing the momentum in 2023.
James currently sits 399 points shy of Kareem's all-time NBA record of 38,387. While James had an impressive performance this week that helped him move closer to the milestone, he did miss the January 9 game against the Denver Nuggets. Fortunately, the ankle injury didn't stop him from coming back in a big way on January 12.
To kick off the week, James and the Lakers picked up a big win over the Sacramento Kings, where James scored 37. After sitting out on Jan. 9, James returned to the lineup days later, scoring 24 points in a loss against the Dallas Mavericks.
Above, you can see some of LeBron James' highlights from the win over the Sacramento Kings last Saturday.
Projecting when LeBron James could break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record
Using LeBron James' career average of 27.1 points per game, it would take him 15 games to score 399 points and break Abdul-Jabbar's record. With that said, however, James has been playing out of his mind in recent weeks.
In four matches played this calendar year, James has averaged a whopping 32.25 points per game. Although he's sat out two games in the month of January, based on his current scoring numbers, he could break the record in just 13 games.
Based on his career scoring numbers, 15 games means James would break the record during the game against the Golden State Warriors on February 11. Based on his current scoring numbers, James would break the record in 13 games on the Lakers February 7 showdown at home against the OKC Thunder.
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LeBron James and the LA Lakers fight for a spot in the playoffs
LeBron James and the LA Lakers recovered nicely from a poor start to the season, which saw the team kick things off with a historic losing streak. Anthony Davis began to shine and though in visible pain, he managed to put up some spectacular MVP-caliber numbers.
Unfortunately, for the team, a foot injury has sidelined Davis in recent weeks, forcing the team to battle on without him. Although several key role players like Dennis Schroder, Thomas Bryant, and Wenyan Gabriel have all stepped up, it hasn't been enough.
LA managed a five-game winning streak, but have lost their last two matches. They are currently tied for 12th place along with the Portland Trail Blazers. With one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NBA, the troubles for the Lakers could get worse before they get better.
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Guess the Lakers players!
