Skip to main content

Without LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (illness) out of the lineup on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their second defeat in as many nights, losing to the Toronto Raptors by a score of 126-113.

The shorthanded Lakers had seven players in double figures in the loss, led by Dennis Schroder, who had 18 points and five rebounds. Fellow starters Thomas Bryant, Lonnie Walker IV, and Austin Reaves added 16, 12, and 10, respectively, while Russell Westbrook (16), Kendrick Nunn (15), and Damian Jones (10) combined for 41 points off the bench.

The Raptors, who got out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, got 25 points each from Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, while O.G. Anunoby added 23.

How close is LeBron James to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record after the Lakers’ loss to the Raptors?

LeBron James during a Lakers-Raptors matchup in December 2022
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court during a timeout during the second half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on December 7, 2022 | Cole Burston/Getty Images

In sitting out Wednesday night’s game, LeBron James remains at 37,501 regular-season points for his career, keeping him 886 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s all-time record of 38,387.

If James returns to the lineup on Friday night to face the Philadelphia 76ers, doesn’t miss any more time, and maintains his season scoring average of 25.8 points per game, he’ll surpass Abdul-Jabbar on Wednesday, February 15, when LA hosts the New Orleans Pelicans.

If LeBron hits his career scoring average of 27.1 points per game moving forward, he’ll pass Kareem on Saturday, February 11, when the Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors.

Have thoughts on this topic? Keep the conversation rolling in our comments section below.

Related

Let’s Not Forget LeBron James Technically Became the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer a While Ago

Best in NBA
Avatar photo
Senior Writer, Programmer

Luke Norris

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting.

Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes.

In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke’s work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.