On Tuesday, the Lakers and the Pacers secured their spots in the quarterfinals of the “in-season” tournament introduced by the NBA this year, during an evening that saw LeBron James become the first player to surpass the 39,000-point mark.
“I haven’t really had time to think about what it means,” commented the Lakers’ superstar about his new record (39,014 total points). “There have been so many great players and scorers in this league since the beginning,” added the player, who is in his 21st NBA season this year.
Already the all-time leading scorer in NBA history since surpassing the legendary Bucks and Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season, James scored 17 points in the easy victory for Los Angeles, also led by Anthony Davis (26 points, 16 rebounds), against the Utah Jazz (131-99).
This win allows the Angelenos to secure their spot in the quarterfinals of the “in-season tournament” introduced by the NBA this year, a tournament organized initially in groups before a final phase. All matches played in this tournament, except for the final, also count toward the regular season standings.
Winning 157-152 in Atlanta, the Indiana Pacers, behind their point guard Tyrese Halliburton (37 points, 16 assists), also earned their ticket to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
In other games of the evening, Phoenix won 120-107 against the Portland Trail Blazers, with 31 points from Kevin Durant, who climbed to 11th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (27,331 total points), and Orlando defeated Toronto 126-107.
In Philadelphia, last season’s MVP Joel Embiid of the Sixers (32 points, 13 rebounds) lost in overtime 122-119 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The quarterfinals of the NBA tournament will take place on December 4 and 5. The semifinals (December 7) and the final (December 9) will be held in Las Vegas.
© Agence France-Presse
