Can tonight be the night that LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? The King is just 36 points away from passing the legend, and he plays a favorable opponent Tuesday night.
LeBron and the Lakers face the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night and the odds for him to pass Kareem is currently at +140. That is great value for him, but he would have to have a monster night. The Lakers are fighting to get back into the playoff position, so expect LeBron to continue to lead the team.
All information below was written on Feb. 1.
A milestone many believed would stand forever will now be passed down to one of the greatest players of all time and certainly the greatest player of my generation. LeBron James has been dominating the NBA for 20 years and I am thankful to have watched every one of those seasons.
Stay tuned to our NBA odds series for more on betting across The Association.
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a huge win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. LeBron James notched his first triple-double of the season but in even more important news, dropped a team-high 28 points in the overtime win. He is now just 89 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record.
The Lakers are completing a road trip and have two more games before playing a two-game homestand in Los Angeles. You already know LeBron will do everything in his power to break the record in LA, in front of a sold-out Hollywood crowd. Tickets have been scorching high as many want to witness the King break the biggest record in NBA history. This is a feat nobody has seen since Kareem did it in 1984.
The Lakers play the Indiana Pacers Thursday followed by the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. Then, the Lakers return home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 7 and then face the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb 9 … on TNT. The following game after that, the Lakers travel to The Bay for a date with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on ABC. The record will be broken that night at the very latest, bearing an injury.
Let's take a look at the NBA odds FanDuel has given, for predicting LeBron's magical moment.
NBA Odds: LeBron James Points Record
Indiana Pacers: +20000
New Orleans Pelicans: +6000
Oklahoma City Thunder: +200
Milwaukee Bucks: -120
Golden State Warriors: +370
As you can see, there are only three games that make the most sense. LeBron isn't going to score 89 points against the Pacers and we all know that. However, let's not count out the possibility he does this in New Orleans. The Lakers are doing everything in their power to win and if that means LeBron has to score more, then he will. he has multiple 40-point games this year and could easily get enough to do this in two games. Furthermore, the Lakers would likely win if that were the case. Yet, despite all that, I believe that he wants to break the record at home in LA.
Doing it against either the Thunder or Bucks makes the most sense, considering he averages 30.2 points per game. If LeBron scores around 30-35 points against the Pacers Thursday night, then you can bet he will get this done at home. The Lakers do not have a back-to-back leading up to this set of games, so I wouldn't expect him to miss any more time.
NBA Odds: LeBron James Points Record Method
Dunk: +650
Free Throw: +450
Three-Point Shot: +370
Layup: +145
Other: +380
LeBron is a sucker for the dramatics, we all know that. Because FanDuel has the option to choose how he gets the record-breaking basket, I'm going to make my prediction that he breaks the record with a dunk. A free throw is a possibility as the entire arena will be watching as he does it, and you never know, maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez don't want to be on a poster for the record-breaking dunk.
LeBron James Points Record Prediction
It's only a matter of time before the record is broken. Sometime within the next two weeks, we will have a new scoring champion and if King James plays another 3-4 seasons, it will stand for a very long time.
LeBron James Points Record Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks (-120); Dunk (+650)
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