Even though the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their worst defeat of the season, there was still something to celebrate: LeBron James became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 32,000 career points.
LeBron was proud of his accomplishment, and he expressed his emotions in an Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BthpFt5AdIK/
James finished with 18 points for the Lakers, who were blown out by the Indiana Pacers by a final score of 136-94. He added nine assists and seven rebounds.
Aside from that, LBJ is closing in on Michael Jordan for the fourth spot on the all-time scoring list. James needs 293 points to surpass MJ.
LeBron would have achieved the milestone earlier this season if not for the groin injury that forced him to miss 17 games. This was just his second game back after being sidelined for more than a month. Still, he is the youngest player to notch 32,000 points, a record previously held by former Laker Kobe Bryant.
But the ultimate goal for James and the Lakers is to make the playoffs this season. After ending 2018 as the fourth-best team in the West, they have fallen outside of the playoffs, thanks to a disastrous performance in the month of January.
The Lakers are currently 10th in the conference with a 27-27 record, 2.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Clippers. They still have a shot to make it, though, especially with the Clippers trading away Tobias Harris.
The 42-point loss against the Pacers should serve as a wake-up call. Despite all the statistical achievements, there are still bigger things to do for a Lakers team that's trying to bring back the winning culture in Los Angeles.
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