LeBron James is now one game away from another remarkable milestone.
Coming into Thursday night's meeting with the Wizards, the Lakers superstar was 40 points away from reaching 40,000 points in his NBA career. In a three-point overtime win, James finished with 31 points, nine assists and four rebounds to move within 10 points of the record mark.
James, who is averaging over 25 points per game this season, has not scored fewer than 10 points in a regular-season game since 2007. With that in mind, he is almost certain to reach 40,000 points the next time he steps on the floor. LA's next game is on Saturday, March 2 when it hosts the defending champion Nuggets at 8:30 p.m. ET.
If you missed it, The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from the Lakers' win over the Wizards.
MORE: What to know about LeBron James' scoring record as he approaches 40K
Lakers vs. Wizards score
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | F | |
| Lakers | 31 | 39 | 29 | 27 | 8 | 134 |
| Wizards | 34 | 35 | 26 | 31 | 5 | 131 |
LeBron James stats vs. Wizards
31 points (12/24 FG, 2/5 3P, 5/7 FT), 4 rebounds, 9 assists in 38 minutes
How many points does LeBron James need to reach 40,000 points?
LeBron James is nine points away from 40,000 career points. He has scored 39,991 points in his NBA career.
LeBron James live stats, updates, highlights from pursuit of 40,000 points
(All times Eastern)
Final: Lakers 134, Wizards 131 (OT)
1:04 a.m.: It took an extra period but the Lakers avoided a letdown to hold on to a three-point win over the Wizards, who have now dropped their last 13 games.
LeBron James finishes with 31 points (on 12-of-24 shooting), nine assists and four rebounds. Anthony Davis led everyone with 40 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
For the Wizards, Jordan Poole led the way with 34 points (on 13-of-26 shooting) off the bench while three other players scored 20-plus points. The team shot 17 of 41 from distance.
1:02 a.m.: Here we go again.
The Lakers lead by three points with 17.3 seconds remaining in the first overtime. LeBron James split a pair of free throws to move to 31 points in the game and within 10 points of 40,000 in his career. Anthony Davis has 40 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.
More importantly, we've got another high-leverage situation here. Washington will look to tie things up to force another overtime.
Lakers 134, Wizards 131
1 a.m.: The challenge is successful and the Lakers now have the ball and the lead with under two minutes to play.
12:56 a.m.: We've got a block/charge controversy. LeBron James is whistled for a blocking foul on Wizards forward Deni Avdija but Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has initiated a coach's challenge.
With the Lakers clinging on to a two-point lead with 1:41 remaining, this is a crucial challenge.
12:54 a.m.: LeBron James is now channeling his heroics from Wednesday night.
After saving a bucket with a signature chase-down block, James ties things up with his signature stare-down 3. On the next offensive possession, he assists Anthony Davis, who is up to 40 points in the game.
Lakers 133, Wizads 131
12:52 a.m.: The extra period gets going with the Lakers and Wizards trading buckets, only Washington's bucket was worth one more point than LA's.
Wizards 129, Lakers 128
End of regulation: Lakers 126, Wizards 126
12:48 a.m.: Jordan Poole tries to get an isolation 3 over LeBron James for the win but it's no good.
To overtime we go.
12:46 a.m.: Austin Reaves ties things up with an acrobatic finish in traffic and the Lakers use their foul to give with 4.7 seconds left.
It's all tied up and the Wizards have an opportunity to play spoiler to get their 10th win of the year. If not, this will head to overtime.
Lakers 126, Wizards 126
12:44 a.m.: The Lakers tried to get LeBron James a quick rest but he ended up sidelined for a crucial stretch.
James checks back in with the Lakers trailing by one and just over a minute remaining. He immediately registers an assist to put LA back up by one point but Jordan Poole responds with a 3 to put Washington up by two. Under a minute remains.
Wizards 126, Lakers 124
12:42 a.m.: This one's getting good.
With under three minutes remaining, Washington, co-owners of the NBA's worst record, leads by one point. The Lakers cannot afford to lose this one but the Wizards will not quit.
12:36 a.m.: LeBron James is up to 25 points despite taking a backseat to Anthony Davis.
James is 15 points away from 40,000 but the Lakers are still battling to pull away from the Wizards. As the game enters clutch time, LA's lead is down to one point and Washington will get a chance to tie after the Lakers are whistled for a technical foul.
Lakers 118, Wizards 117
12:26 a.m.: As the Lakers look to pull away, LeBron James is still adding to the stat sheet.
James is up to 21 points and has now scored 20 or more points in 17 consecutive games. He's also now within 20 points of the 40,000 mark. With just 8:31 remaining in regulation, he might not reach the milestone tonight but he's on its doorstep.
Elsewhere, Anthony Davis has 34 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks to lead the way.
Lakers 110, Wizards 104
End of third quarter: Lakers 99, Wizards 95
12:16 a.m.: LeBron James checks in for the final 51 seconds of the third quarter. The Lakers have a five-point lead and will look to close this game out in order to overtake the Warriors for the West's ninth seed.
Lakers 99, Wizards 94
12:06 a.m.: LeBron James checks out with 4:23 remaining in the third frame.
He's added four points to his total tally to reach 19 points in 23 minutes on just 10 field goal attempts. LA leads by one point.
Lakers 86, Wizards 85
11:52 p.m.: It's been a lot of offense and not much defense on both sides as the Lakers and Wizards have combined for 149 points early in the third quarter.
LeBron James gets his second half going with a finish around Kyle Kuzma in transition.
James has an efficient 17 points on nine shots.
Halftime: Lakers 70, Wizards 69
11:36 p.m.: The Lakers head into the half with a one-point lead thanks in large part to Anthony Davis, who has 24 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
LeBron James returned for the final few seconds of the half but did not add to his stats. He goes into the locker room with 15 points in 16 minutes.
11:26 p.m.: LeBron James checks back out with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter.
James has 15 points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of action. He could add to those totals if he gets one more burst of playing time before the halftime break.
Wizards 55, Lakers 49
11:21 p.m.: The Wizards are still in control but LeBron James is starting to heat up.
James has 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) in 14 minutes of action. He'll step back to the free throw line for one more shot after a timeout. 5:59 remains in the first half.
Wizards 51, Lakers 45
11:17 p.m.: Out of the timeout, LeBron James drills a 3 over Marvin Bagley III to bring his total to 10 points in the game.
James is now 30 points away from 40,000.
11:14 p.m.: The Wizards' lead has ballooned to eight points and Darvin Ham calls for a timeout.
After an inspired performance on Wednesday, LA has been flat to start tonight.
LeBron James has seven points, two rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes of action while D'Angelo Russell's 11 points lead the way for the Lakers. Anthony Davis has 10 in the game.
Washington is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Jordan Poole leads all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Wizards 44, Lakers 36
11:09 p.m.: LeBron James is back in the game to open the second quarter and adds to his points tally with a driving layup. He's got six points so far but the Lakers are trailing.
LA might need more heroics to pick up another win tonight.
End of first quarter: Wizards 34, Lakers 31
10:55 p.m.: LeBron James exits for his first break of the night.
James takes a breather after scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds in just under eight minutes of action.
Wizards 21, Lakers 19
10:48 p.m.: Make it two dunks for LeBron James early on. He's missed both of his 3-point attempts but James has four points thanks to his slams.
Timeout on the floor. with 6:53 remaining in the first.
Wizards 16, Lakers 14
10:44 p.m.: 39 years old on a back-to-back? Doesn't matter.
LeBron James gets on the board by going coast to coast for an above-the-rim finish, defying both logic and gravity.
Pregame
10:30 p.m.: It's almost showtime and the starters are in.
Los Angeles will go with D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis.
The Wizards are starting Tyus Jones, Landry Shamet, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma and Marvin Bagley III.
10 p.m.: The ambidextrous LeBron James has been cleared to go on the second end of a back-to-back.
What channel Is Lakers vs. Wizards on today?
- TV channel (Los Angeles): Spectrum SportsNet
- TV channel (Washington): Monumental Sports Network
- Live stream: NBA League Pass
Thursday night's game between the Lakers and Wizards will air on regional sports networks in Southern California and the Washington, D.C. area. Fans elsewhere can stream the game with a subscription to NBA League Pass.
Lakers vs. Wizards start time
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 29
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT
The matchup between the Lakers and Wizards will tip off around 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time) from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
