“The way you scoring you should have that two spot by next week” – Kyle Kuzma praises LeBron James for reaching 36,000 points, jokes he’ll soon overtake Karl Malone
LeBron James of the LA Lakers became the youngest player to reach 36,000 career points Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets. James is only the third player to reach the milestone, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
James led the Lakers to a 132-123 win over the Rockets, ending a five-game losing streak. "The King" also registered his 102nd career triple-double, finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Congratulations to LeBron James (@KingJames) of the @Lakers on becoming the third player in NBA history to eclipse 36,000 points scored 👑 https://t.co/6OdM7Vk5dG
Washington Wizards forward and ex-Lakers player Kyle Kuzma joked that James can catch Karl Malone by next week. Kuzma said James' current groove could be enough to do it, sharing his comments on his Instagram page:
"The way you scoring you should have that two spot by next week. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 @kingjames let's go."
James has 36,001 points, while Malone has 36,928. James needs 928 points to reach second, and he's averaging 27.6 points this season. If he keeps on that pace, "The King" will need at least 34 games to pass Malone. The Lakers have 47 games remaining. If James can sustain his production and stay healthy, he could be in second later this season.
Malone retired in 2004 after 19 seasons. Jabbar, the all-time leader at 38,387 points, retired in 1989 after 20 seasons. James is in his 19th season.
Kuzma and James played together for the LA Lakers from 2018 to 2021. They won an NBA championship in 2020, and Kuzma was traded to the Washington Wizards in August. He was part of the deal to acquire former MVP Russell Westbrook.
In his first season with the Wizards, Kuzma established himself as their starting power forward. He's averaging 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. The Wizards (17-17) are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.
LeBron James help LA Lakers snap five-game losing skid
On his way to 36,000 points, LeBron James carried the LA Lakers to a win over the Houston Rockets. The win snapped a five-game losing streak, but it was not easy. The Rockets kept the game close until the final two minutes.
It took two triple-doubles for the Lakers to beat the team with the third-worst record in the NBA. James, who started at center for the first time in his career, had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Westbrook finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Offense in overdrive. #LakersWin https://t.co/Wn4Q4VXOhU
Although Los Angeles finally ended its losing streak, its season only gets harder the rest of the way. The Lakers (17-18) are below .500 despite having the easiest schedule in the NBA to this point. They visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The Lakers have one of the toughest schedules for the remainder of the season. In their final 47 games, Los Angeles will face the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz three times and the Phoenix Suns twice and the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets once.
Teams like the Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers are not pushovers. The Lakers will face them at least once before the end of the season, with Anthony Davis possibly out until the end of January.
The Lakers have the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA, based on opponent win percentage.
They have had the easiest strength of schedule so far this season. https://t.co/TRWqsa8lOc
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