Los Angeles superstar LeBron James celebrated his 36th birthday Wednesday with another NBA milestone, scoring double-digit points for his 1,000th consecutive game in the Lakers’ 121-107 win over the Spurs in San Antonio. James finished with 26 points to extend his already streak of double-digit games in the regular season. He sealed the milestone with a turnaround jump hook midway through the second quarter that gave the Lakers a 46-37 lead.
“I just try to live in the moment and try to do better with my game, try to do better with my teammates and try to maximize when I’m on the floor,” said James, who is in his 18th NBA campaign after leading the Lakers to the 2020 title in the league’s quarantine bubble in Orlando.
“I’ve been blessed to play the game I love for 18 years and hopefully I can continue to play at a high level,” he said.
James’ double-digit scoring streak began on January 6, 2007, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It’s a tribute to his level of toughness … his commitment to excellence,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game. “He deserves a lot of credit for being the consummate professional. His mental state along with his physical state make him truly special.”
Shortly after James reached the milestone, Popovich was ejected from the contest for arguing with officials.
Assistant Becky Hammon took over the Spurs bench, becoming the first woman to manage a team in an NBA game.
Anthony Davis scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lakers, while rookie Dennis Schroder added 21 points and four assists.
Wesley Matthews had his best game since joining the champions, scoring 18 points off the bench as he made all six of his three-point attempts.
– gentle heat bounce back –
In early action, the Miami Heat bounced back from an embarrassing 47-point loss to Milwaukee with a 119-108 victory over the NBA Bucks.
The Heat didn’t have to wait long for revenge as they hosted the Bucks for the second straight night.
Goran Dragic led Miami with 26 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo added 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists and Tyler Herro scored 21 points with a career-best 15 rebounds as the Heat avoided another home loss.
The Bucks dominated Tuesday with an NBA-record 29 three-pointers in their 144-97 victory.
The Bucks led by as many as 14 in the third quarter after a triple-double of 26 points, 13 rebounds and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 10 assists to make it look like two wins in a row.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 15 points and Jrue Holiday added 13 for the Bucks, but the Heat rallied despite missing Jimmy Butler for the second straight game.
“You want to continue to develop some toughness and grit over a long season, and our guys responded in appropriate fashion,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who admitted before the game that there was “a lot of anger and frustration” after Tuesday’s blowout loss.
“There should have been sides,” he said.
In Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving scored 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Kevin Durant added 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Nets dealt the Atlanta Hawks their first loss of their young season, 145-141.
Irving’s late burst helped the Celtics withstand 30-point performances from Atlanta’s Trae Young and John Collins.
Boston, powered by Jaylen Brown’s career-high 42 points, beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-111.
The Celtics led by 12 points in the first quarter and took complete control in the second period with a 17-0 scoring run.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who missed two games with an elbow to the face, returned wearing a protective mask to score a game-high 28 points in his team’s 128-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
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