On January 5th, 2007, Lebron James scored 8 points and dished out 9 assists in an away win versus the Milwaukee Bucks. This was the last time that Lebron James scored below 10 points in an NBA game until December 4th, 2025. 1,297 games in a row scoring double digit points. On Thursday night, Lebron struggled, shooting 4 for 17 from the field and 0 for 5 from three point range. Despite the poor shooting, Lebron still managed to snag six rebounds and dish out 13 assists with zero turnovers. One of the 13 assists was to Rui Hachimura in the corner for a game winning three. Although Lebron’s historic and legendary streak had come to an end, all fans and the media could do was cheer and appreciate that this was the most Lebron way to end this streak.
The Los Angeles Lakers came into Toronto with a 15-5 record on the year, despite dealing with many injuries to star players. Luka Doncic, the Slovenian Superstar, was absent from the Lakers starting lineup due to a family matter. Doncic leads the team in all major categories putting up absolutely ridiculous numbers only comparable with Wilt Chamberlain. The former Dallas Maverick is averaging 35 points per game, nine assists and nine rebounds per game. Prior to playing the Raptors, LA was 3-1 when playing without Luka. In those games, much of the workload went to guard Austin Reaves and Lebron James. With Lebron’s scoring struggles, Reaves had to step up. The undrafted 27 year-old dropped 44 points and ten assists in 40 minutes. The role players surrounding James also helped out as the Lakers finished with five players scoring double digits.
Toronto came into this contest with a 15-7 record and sat near the top of the east, a place that very few predicted them to be in. At first, the acquisition of Brandon Ingram back in February of last season puzzled some fans as the Raptors acquired an injury-prone wing slowly fading out of his prime. However, Ingram has taken Canada by storm early in the season. The Duke product is averaging 20 points per game and six rebounds per game all without missing a single game this year. The Raptors as a whole are surprising the NBA world. This team is full of glue guys who all play their role perfectly and third-year head coach Darko Rajakovic is becoming a fan favorite with his locker room traditions and coaching style.
The December 4th game began with a strong first quarter for the Lakers. At one point, LA led by 11, but finished the first up five. The second quarter saw Toronto cut the lead to just two but they could never hold on to it as the Lakers went into the break leading by nine. The Raptors finally got the lead with six minutes left to play in the third quarter. The end of the third was a back and forth battle as both teams traded the lead until the end. Los Angeles led by two with just one quarter left to play.
The fourth quarter saw much of the same as both teams traded buckets the whole way. Lebron scored his eighth point of the night with 1:46 left to play in the game, needing just one more bucket to retain his historic streak. With just under a minute to play, Brandon Ingram hit a 10-foot jumper to give Toronto a 120-118 lead. Austin Reaves answered right away with a floater to tie the game. After a Brandon Ingram miss the Lakers got the ball with 20 seconds remaining. Lebron had eight points on the night, looking to get one more bucket and break the tie. After lots of Austin Reaves dribbling, Toronto sent an extra defender to shut down the Lakers guard. This rotation left one man open up top. That man was Lebron James. James picked up the ball in stride and looked to attack the rim for the win. Lebron read the defensive adjustments and hit a wide open Rui Hachimura in the corner. Hachimura sank the three as time expired and the Lakers had won 123-120.
Lebron had sacrificed his streak of 1,297 straight games with 10 or more points. This unselfishness and dedication to win truly encapsulates Lebron’s NBA career. Time and time again he has given up the opportunity to individually win the game by dishing out the extra pass to a more open teammate. His basketball IQ and understanding of the game is undoubtedly the greatest of all time. While Lebron’s streak had ended, fans and the media couldn’t help but congratulate James on his smart game-winning play. Lebron James turns 41 years-old at the end of December and while his play has definitely shown a decline, the Akron native continuously puts his team in a spot to win games.