On January 3rd, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the Lakers defeat the Trail Blazers at home, with Davis sidelined due to injury. The 40-year-old LeBron James went 15 for 25 from the field, including 7 of 10 from three-point range, scoring 38 points with 8 assists and 3 rebounds. He stepped up in the crucial moments, setting multiple records and tying Michael Jordan for first place in history with 562 games scoring 30+ points.
Davis missed the game due to a left ankle injury, which was not serious. The Lakers were cautious and decided to rest him. James started alongside Reeves, Hachimura, Christie, and Hayes.
In the first quarter, James played for 7 minutes, going 2 for 4 and scoring 7 points with 3 assists. While the Lakers' overall offense was decent, their defense was lacking, as they scored 27 points but still trailed the Trail Blazers by 4.
In the second quarter, the 40-year-old James turned on his offensive mode - driving through defenders for layups and hitting step-back threes without hesitation. After James took a break, Christie hit back-to-back threes and completed a tough 2+1 play. When James returned, he hit another three-pointer, leading the Lakers on a 14-3 run to take the lead. James then had a two-handed dunk and another three-pointer, finishing the half with the Lakers leading 60-51, a 9-point advantage. In this quarter alone, James went 5 for 7, scoring an explosive 14 points.
In the third quarter, the Lakers continued to dominate and expand their lead over the Trail Blazers, winning the quarter 28-24 and extending their lead to 13 points. James hit 3 three-pointers in this quarter, contributing 9 points. At one point, due to fear of James' three-point shooting, Murray attempted to block him but ended up fouling him, causing James to grimace in pain.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers' offense noticeably declined while the Trail Blazers made a furious comeback, bringing the game back into contention. With 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, the Lakers led 103-100. In the critical moment, James broke the bleeding with a layup, and with 58.5 seconds left, he hit the decisive three-pointer. He then sealed the victory with another layup, securing the win for the Lakers at home.
James set multiple records in this game:
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James reached 1522 regular-season games, tying Dirk Nowitzki for fourth place in history. If he plays one more game, he will surpass Nowitzki. With just 20 more games, James' number of appearances could surpass Vince Carter, moving him up to third place in history.
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James has now scored 30+ points in 562 regular-season games, officially tying Michael Jordan for first place in history.
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James continues to refresh the record for consecutive games with double-digit scoring, now at 1252 games.