Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – LeBron James broke the record for most field goals made in NBA history Thursday, though the latest milestone in his glittering career did not stop the Los Angeles Lakers from crashing 120-113 to the Denver Nuggets. James, who already held the NBA all-time points record, sailed past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 15,837 field goals with a fadeaway jumper in the first quarter. The 41-year-old has played a record 23 NBA seasons and has stoked rumors of possible retirement in recent weeks, telling reporters in January: “I don’t know what the future holds.”
James, who scored 16 points in Thursday’s loss, appeared to injure his left elbow in the fourth quarter after he was shunted off the court and landed on the legs of a cameraman. Play was halted as he was substituted out. James returned to the court for the game’s final two minutes, but in evident pain. It was a wire-to-wire win for the Nuggets, though the Lakers had closed to within one point with two minutes remaining. “They’re a difficult team to beat,” said Nikola Jokic, who grabbed another triple-double including 28 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. “We scored when we needed.”
The result could prove crucial to playoff qualification, with the Lakers sitting in the final automatic spot in sixth, just behind the Nuggets. They are two games clear of the Phoenix Suns, who lost 105-103 to the Chicago Bulls. James’s career tally of well over 43,000 points is nearly 5,000 more than second-placed Abdul-Jabbar, whom he passed back in 2023. James reached the points record earlier in part because Abdul-Jabbar played much of his career before the introduction of the three-pointer, but the field goal record is further testament to his longevity and prowess.
Elsewhere, Victor Wembanyama scored 38 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs brushed aside the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons 121-106. The French 7-foot-5 prodigy was near-unplayable as the Spurs notched up their second straight wire-to-wire win and their 13th victory from 14 games. “Any game between top seeds should be impressive. For us, it was super fun,” said Wembanyama. “It wouldn’t have been fun if we didn’t…dictate the game. I think we led for 48 minutes,” he added. Wembanyama was ably supported by De’Aaron Fox with 29 points, as the second-placed Spurs moved within three games of West-topping Oklahoma City Thunder.
For the Pistons, it was rare back-to-back losses, despite star man Cade Cunningham showing grit in a losing cause with 26 points. The Golden State Warriors bested the Houston Rockets 115-113 in an overtime thriller. The Warriors had led until the end of the third quarter, before a madcap finish saw 12 lead changes, with regular time ending 101-101. Kevin Durant scored a huge three-pointer to bring the Rockets back to a one-point deficit with a minute of overtime left. But having made a league-best 36 consecutive free throws, Durant then missed two in a row, leaving his team — who are locked in a tight race for the third seed in the West — agonizingly short.
It was a key win for the Warriors, whose form had slumped and left them clinging to eighth spot, with injuries to star players including Stephen Curry. The playoff-chasing Orlando Magic edged another thriller against the Dallas Mavericks thanks to last-gasp heroics by Jalen Suggs. Nineteen-year-old sensation Cooper Flagg appeared to have won it for Dallas, muscling through Wendell Carter Jr for a four-point lead with 37 seconds left. But Suggs had other ideas, burying a three-pointer and then finding Carter Jr for a running dunk and a 115-114 victory.
Flagg, returning from a foot injury, became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 1,000 career points mark. The only player to reach that milestone younger? A teenage LeBron James back in 2004.
© 2024 AFP
