The last time LeBron James scored in single digits in a game, “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé was the No. 1 song in the nation, and “Night at the Museum” — the first movie in that franchise — was king of the box office. It was Jan. 5, 2007, and a young LeBron was in just his third season.
Thursday night in Toronto — 1,297 regular-season games later — LeBron James had eight points as the clock was winding down, and he had the chance to extend his record and hit the game-winner, but LeBron made the right basketball play and passed to a wide-open Rui Hachimura, who knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer, giving the Lakers the 123-120 victory.
RUI HACHIMURA FROM THE CORNER FOR THE WIN OFF THE LEBRON JAMES DIME!
— NBA (@NBA) December 5, 2025
🚨 @TISSOT BUZZER-BEATER 🚨
Everyone Gets 24 pic.twitter.com/6J38hGVRYK
LeBron was asked postgame if he had any thoughts about his streak ending.
“None,” he said, via the Associated Press.
It’s a sign of how much the thinking on LeBron has changed. When he was in that third season, and throughout his early career, LeBron was criticized for making exactly that kind of pass and not taking the more difficult shot himself, because taking that shot was often (but not always, and not in key moments) what people had seen Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant do.
“Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play,” James said. “That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”
LeBron’s 1,297 consecutive games scoring in double digits is by far the NBA record, Jordan is second at 866.
With Luka Doncic in Slovenia for the birth of his second child, Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 44 points while dishing out 10 assists.
