The King's Historic Scoring Run Comes to a Close, But Los Angeles Pull Off Triumph Against Toronto.

The Lakers star knew his historic streak of scoring in double figures was in danger. In that crucial moment, however, it didn't concern him.

The smart move was to pass the basketball – and he executed. Consequently, his remarkable run finished.

LeBron's staggering streak of 1,297 consecutive NBA regular season outings scoring at least ten was snapped on Thursday night, when the NBA's all-time scoring leader was limited to eight total points during the Lakers' 123-120 triumph versus the Toronto Raptors. He delivered the decisive pass, finding teammate Rui Hachimura to hit a three-point shot at the buzzer.

“Zero,” James replied when asked regarding the conclusion of his run. “The team got the victory.”

A Selfless Play Seals the Game

He might have sought to clinch the contest – and preserved the streak – in the closing seconds, yet he opted to pass to Rui on the wing. Hachimura sank it, prompting James celebrated with his hands in the air.

It's about playing basketball the right way. Make the smart play,” James remarked. That is my philosophy. It's how I was instructed to play. That's what I've done my whole career.”

James is acutely aware exactly how many points he's scored at all times,” said the team's head coach the coach. He made the play like he’s done so many times.”

The Record's Closing Chapter

James re-entered the game one last time with just over five minutes left, the result and his personal record on the line. At that stage, he had only six points on 3 for 15 from the field at that juncture.

He managed a basket with under two minutes remaining to tie the game then missed a mid-range jumper with one minute to go which could have pushed him to ten points.

He didn’t take one more attempt – though the opportunity was there. A teammate passed him the ball as time wound down, however, James opted to make the extra pass instead of shooting.

The basketball deities, if you do it the proper way, they will repay you,” Redick added.

The History of a Monumental Record

This incredible run began over eighteen years ago. It was, by far the longest streak of its kind in professional basketball: His Airness, Michael Jordan had 866 consecutive games with 10+ points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 787 such games, and Karl Malone had the fourth-longest run at 575.

“He’s such a team-oriented player,” noted Lakers center Jake LaRavia.

“He’s just playing hoops. He could have shot but because of who he is on the court and his personality as a person, he executed the pass, passed it to Rui and we won the victory.”

Scoring in double figures had long been an afterthought well before the start of fourth quarters. Throughout his run, he had attained double figures by the start of the fourth on the vast majority of occasions prior to Thursday.

But two of those unusual single-digit games through three quarters took place in the last week: He had nine going into the fourth against Dallas on 28 November, followed by six going into the fourth versus the Suns earlier in the week.

He succeeded in preserve the record in the Phoenix game. One game later, it concluded – yet he was celebrating regardless.

My focus is to make the best play. That’s automatic, win, lose or draw,” James declared. “You make the smart play, the sports deities are always giving back to me.”