On January 16, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 96-133 on the road and suffered three consecutive defeats. In this game, James played 31 minutes, 9 of 23 shooting, 25 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. It's worth mentioning that 25 points is James' lowest score in the last 13 games.
Facing the Nuggets led by Jokic, the Lakers played very loosely. In the first half, the Lakers lost 73 points, setting a record for the worst of the season. By the time they entered the fourth quarter, the Lakers were already 23 points behind on the court. Even so, James played four minutes in the fourth quarter, shooting 1-of-3, including 2-of-3 from the free throws, and scored 4 points.
The Lakers had no hope of turning the tables, and with only 8 minutes left in the game, Vogel chose to replace James. After leaving the game, James also took a special look at the technical statistics. In this game, James scored another 25 points, reaching a career total of 36,264 points. It is only 2123 points away from the top-ranked Abdul-Jabbar (38387 points). It is only 664 points away from second-placed Malone (36928 points).
This season, James is averaging 28.9 points per game. With this scoring efficiency, James can play another 23 games to surpass Carl Malone and jump to the second place in the all-time scoring list. In the next season, James maintains a normal attendance rate, and can successfully surpass Abdul-Jabbar and become the all-time scoring champion.
This season, the Lakers' record is very crotch-pulling. When faced against the league's strongest teams, they rarely play beautiful games. Coupled with the fact that the team has more injuries, thick eyebrows are injured and absent, and Westbrook's shooting feel is not good, in this case, James can only fire at full speed. It also allowed his average of points per game to soar to 28.9 points per game.
With this recent wave of strong play, James's historical total score has also increased rapidly. The so-called heartless willow shade. The Lakers' record this season may not be too good, but James personally may usher in a historic moment, surpassing Carl Malone and sitting on the second place in the history of scoring. By next season, James may surpass Abdul-Jabbar and officially join the all-time scoring champion.