LeBron scores 39,000th point, Lakers complete sweep of tourney group play with 131-99 win over Utah
LOS ANGELES (AP) LeBron James scored his 39,000th point on the way to 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers completed an unbeaten run through group play in the NBA In-Season Tournament with a 131-99 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who will host a quarterfinal game early next month to begin the knockout stages of the league's first in-season tournament. Los Angeles beat Phoenix, Memphis, Portland and Utah by a combined 74 points, capped by this blowout of the Jazz for the Lakers' sixth victory in seven games overall.
Already the top scorer in NBA history after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) last season, the 38-year-old James became the first player in league history to top 39,000 points early in the first quarter.
“I got congratulated by my teammates and coaches, (but) I haven't had an opportunity to really wrap my head around what that means,” James said. “There's been so many great players that came across this league since the beginning of time, and so many great scorers. To be able to accomplish something that's the first of anything, I think that's always pretty cool. It's a wild moment, that's for sure.”
The milestone was another stop in James’ steamrolling of the world's previous standards for basketball longevity: He began the night averaging 26.4 points per game, by far the most production from any player in NBA history who made it to a 21st season.
D'Angelo Russell added 20 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who went up by 30 in the third quarter and got their two superstars out of the game for good before the fourth began. James played only 24 minutes, while Davis dominated in his 29 minutes, going 11 of 14 and even adding four assists.
“Being able to sleep in our beds and not having to travel, that's always good,” Davis said of the Lakers' tournament position. “We're one step closer to winning the, uh, Cup? Is it the tournament Cup? NBA Cup? Something like that? So, one step closer.”
Austin Reaves scored 19 points and Christian Wood had a season-high 16 while Los Angeles improved to 7-1 at home this season and Utah fell to 1-6 on the road.
John Collins scored 15 points and Omer Yurtseven had a season-high 18 for the undersized Jazz, who dropped to 2-2 in tournament play with their seventh loss in nine games overall. Utah shot dismally, hitting only 33% of its shots in the first half.
“They did a good job of just closing the floor on us and taking all the space that we had and forcing us to take tough shots,” said former Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, who scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Starting wing Cam Reddish played only five minutes before leaving with groin soreness, adding another injury to the Lakers' list and leaving them with just nine available players. Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel) and first-round draft pick Jalen Hood-Schifino (right kneecap) have not played this season. Gabe Vincent will miss at least 16 games before he returns from a left knee injury, presumably next month.
The Lakers still dominated the first half, taking a 23-point lead in the second quarter behind 17 points and 10 rebounds from Davis. Utah went just 4 for 23 on 3-pointers while falling behind 62-41 at halftime.
“I think our lack of physicality, in particular on offense, led us to have very sloppy offensive possessions,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “And when you couple that with not making really any shots ... playing against that team in transition over and over and over again is difficult. It was a lot of things wrapped into one that led to a bad game.”
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Portland on Wednesday.
Lakers: Host Dallas on Wednesday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Lauri Markkanen vs. Anthony Davis (D'Angelo Russell gains possession) | |||
11:37 | D'Angelo Russell misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
11:35 | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | |||
11:25 | Keyonte George misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
11:20 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
11:16 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point running alley-oop dunk (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 0-2 | |
10:50 | Jordan Clarkson misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
10:47 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
10:37 | Ochai Agbaji personal foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
10:26 | LeBron James misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
10:22 | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | |||
10:13 | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point layup (John Collins assists) | 2-2 | |
10:01 | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point pullup jump shot | 2-4 | |
9:45 | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | |||
9:42 | D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound | |||
9:37 | D'Angelo Russell misses three point running pullup jump shot | |||
9:34 | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | |||
9:27 | D'Angelo Russell blocks Keyonte George's two point driving layup | |||
9:27 | Keyonte George offensive rebound | |||
9:23 | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point putback layup | 4-4 | |
9:13 | Taurean Prince misses three point jump shot | |||
9:11 | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | |||
9:05 | Jordan Clarkson misses three point running jump shot | |||
9:03 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
8:57 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point driving dunk (LeBron James assists) | 4-6 | |
8:31 | Ochai Agbaji misses two point cutting layup | |||
8:30 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
8:23 | Taurean Prince misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
8:18 | Anthony Davis offensive rebound | |||
8:18 | Anthony Davis misses two point putback dunk | |||
8:17 | Keyonte George defensive rebound | |||
8:05 | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | |||
8:04 | Jazz offensive rebound | |||
8:01 | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | |||
7:59 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
7:57 | John Collins shooting foul (LeBron James draws the foul) | |||
7:57 | +1 | LeBron James makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-7 | |
7:57 | +1 | LeBron James makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-8 | |
7:43 | Jordan Clarkson turnover (bad pass) (Anthony Davis steals) | |||
7:38 | Taurean Prince turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Clarkson steals) | |||
7:34 | Keyonte George misses three point running jump shot | |||
7:31 | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | |||
7:31 | Ochai Agbaji misses two point tip layup | |||
7:31 | John Collins offensive rebound | |||
7:31 | Cam Reddish personal foul (John Collins draws the foul) | |||
7:27 | +3 | John Collins makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 7-8 | |
7:11 | +3 | LeBron James makes three point jump shot (Anthony Davis assists) | 7-11 | |
6:53 | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | |||
6:52 | Lakers defensive rebound | |||
6:52 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
6:38 | LeBron James misses three point jump shot | |||
6:35 | Keyonte George defensive rebound | |||
6:27 | Jordan Clarkson misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
6:23 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
6:15 | Kelly Olynyk shooting foul (D'Angelo Russell draws the foul) | |||
6:15 | D'Angelo Russell misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
6:15 | Lakers offensive rebound | |||
6:15 | +1 | D'Angelo Russell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-12 | |
5:52 | John Collins misses two point cutting layup | |||
5:50 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
5:46 | LeBron James turnover (lost ball) (John Collins steals) | |||
5:44 | +2 | John Collins makes two point dunk | 9-12 | |
5:17 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point alley-oop dunk (LeBron James assists) | 9-14 | |
5:00 | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | |||
4:58 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
4:50 | Kelly Olynyk shooting foul (Rui Hachimura draws the foul) | |||
4:50 | +1 | Rui Hachimura makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-15 | |
4:50 | +1 | Rui Hachimura makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-16 | |
4:40 | John Collins misses three point jump shot | |||
4:37 | Christian Wood defensive rebound | |||
4:30 | +2 | Christian Wood makes two point cutting layup (Austin Reaves assists) | 9-18 | |
4:16 | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point driving layup | |||
4:15 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
4:06 | Rui Hachimura misses two point layup | |||
4:05 | Rui Hachimura offensive rebound | |||
4:05 | Rui Hachimura misses two point tip layup | |||
4:05 | Rui Hachimura offensive rebound | |||
3:56 | Rui Hachimura misses two point layup | |||
3:55 | Anthony Davis offensive rebound | |||
3:54 | John Collins blocks Anthony Davis's two point putback layup | |||
3:54 | Anthony Davis offensive rebound | |||
3:53 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point putback dunk | 9-20 | |
3:39 | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point turnaround jump shot | 11-20 | |
3:26 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point cutting layup (Austin Reaves assists) | 11-22 | |
3:12 | Kelly Olynyk misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
3:09 | Christian Wood defensive rebound | |||
2:52 | +2 | Taurean Prince makes two point driving layup (Anthony Davis assists) | 11-24 | |
2:40 | Christian Wood shooting foul (John Collins draws the foul) | |||
2:40 | Jazz 60 second timeout | |||
2:40 | John Collins misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
2:40 | Jazz offensive rebound | |||
2:40 | +1 | John Collins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-24 | |
2:17 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point dunk (Max Christie assists) | 12-26 | |
1:55 | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point driving layup | |||
1:52 | Rui Hachimura defensive rebound | |||
1:49 | +3 | Austin Reaves makes three point running pullup jump shot | 12-29 | |
1:34 | Collin Sexton misses two point stepback jump shot | |||
1:29 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
1:23 | Rui Hachimura misses three point jump shot | |||
1:21 | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | |||
1:12 | Christian Wood shooting foul (Kelly Olynyk draws the foul) | |||
1:12 | Kelly Olynyk misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
1:12 | Jazz offensive rebound | |||
1:12 | Kelly Olynyk misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
1:09 | Simone Fontecchio offensive rebound | |||
1:06 | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point jump shot | |||
1:02 | Rui Hachimura defensive rebound | |||
0:55 | Lauri Markkanen shooting foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
0:55 | +1 | Anthony Davis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 12-30 | |
0:55 | Anthony Davis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
0:52 | Collin Sexton defensive rebound | |||
0:43 | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Collin Sexton assists) | 15-30 | |
0:30 | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | |||
0:25 | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | |||
0:19 | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point running finger roll layup | 17-30 | |
0:04 | +2 | Austin Reaves makes two point pullup bank jump shot | 17-32 | |
0:04 | Kelly Olynyk turnover (bad pass) (Austin Reaves steals) | |||
0:03 | Austin Reaves misses two point layup | |||
0:01 | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:45 | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | |||
11:41 | Simone Fontecchio offensive rebound | |||
11:38 | +3 | Collin Sexton makes three point jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 20-32 | |
11:17 | Talen Horton-Tucker blocks LeBron James's two point driving layup | |||
11:14 | LeBron James offensive rebound | |||
11:13 | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | |||
11:10 | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | |||
11:08 | Jaxson Hayes shooting foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | |||
11:08 | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-32 | |
11:08 | +1 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-32 | |
10:44 | +2 | Max Christie makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 22-34 | |
10:27 | Lauri Markkanen misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
10:24 | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | |||
10:22 | Christian Wood blocks Kelly Olynyk's two point putback layup | |||
10:20 | Max Christie defensive rebound | |||
10:12 | Austin Reaves misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
10:09 | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | |||
9:56 | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | |||
9:52 | LeBron James defensive rebound | |||
9:39 | +2 | Jaxson Hayes makes two point cutting dunk (LeBron James assists) | 22-36 | |
9:17 | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point driving floating jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 24-36 | |
9:05 | Christian Wood misses three point jump shot | |||
9:01 | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | |||
8:55 | Talen Horton-Tucker turnover (lost ball) (Max Christie steals) | |||
8:52 | +2 | Jaxson Hayes makes two point running dunk (LeBron James assists) | 24-38 | |
8:30 | +3 | Lauri Markkanen makes three point jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 27-38 | |
8:15 | Jaxson Hayes turnover (bad pass) (Talen Horton-Tucker steals) | |||
8:10 | +2 | Kelly Olynyk makes two point running layup (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 29-38 | |
8:10 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
7:52 | Taurean Prince misses three point jump shot | |||
7:49 | Collin Sexton defensive rebound | |||
7:44 | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point running jump shot | |||
7:41 | Lakers defensive rebound | |||
7:27 | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 29-40 | |
7:27 | Collin Sexton shooting foul (D'Angelo Russell draws the foul) | |||
7:27 | D'Angelo Russell misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
7:24 | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | |||
7:13 | Simone Fontecchio turnover (traveling) | |||
6:56 | Simone Fontecchio personal foul (Christian Wood draws the foul) | |||
6:48 | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point pullup jump shot (Anthony Davis assists) | 29-42 | |
6:33 | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point turnaround jump shot | 31-42 | |
6:22 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point alley-oop layup (LeBron James assists) | 31-44 | |
6:02 | Jordan Clarkson misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:59 | John Collins offensive rebound | |||
5:59 | +2 | John Collins makes two point turnaround hook shot | 33-44 | |
5:42 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 33-46 | |
5:24 | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point driving bank hook shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 35-46 | |
5:06 | +2 | Rui Hachimura makes two point driving layup (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 35-48 | |
4:53 | Kelly Olynyk misses three point jump shot |