LeBron James Nears NBA Scoring Record As Lakers Edge Past Pacers

• LeBron James closes in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record with 26-point performance against the Pacers
• James and Anthony Davis's heroics helped the Lakers erase a 14-point deficit in the final quarter against Indiana
• James will look to break the scoring mark in the Lakers' next game against the New Orleans Pelicans

LeBron James moved ever closer to becoming the NBA’s scoring king, racking up 26 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 112-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

He is now just 63 points away from breaking the all-time regular season scoring record of 38,387 points set by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Lakers needed each and every one of James’ points as they staged a frantic fourth-quarter comeback against the Pacers. They rallied from 14 points down in the final period to pull off the narrow win.

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Buoyed by a friendly road crowd, James took charge down the stretch for Los Angeles. He gave the Lakers their first lead of the game with just 2:35 left, knocking down a three-pointer for a 108-106 advantage, according to ESPN.

The game went back-and-forth after that with the Pacers and Lakers trading leads in the final two minutes. It was Anthony Davis, however, who proved to be the difference, making critical plays on both ends of the floor in the dying seconds to seal the win for the Lakers.

Davis and James power Lakers

He scored a tough jumper with 35.1 seconds remaining to give Los Angeles a 112-111 lead. He then preserved that advantage with a block on Tyrese Haliburton in the following play. Davis finished the game with 31 points and 14 rebounds.

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All eyes were on James, though, as he resumed his scoring-record chase. He was highly efficient, shooting 11 of 19 from the field against Indiana. James also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists in 33 minutes of action.

LeBron to play Pelicans next

The road to sporting immortality continues for James on Saturday when the Lakers travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans. When asked by reporters if he has a 63-point game in him to finally break the record this weekend, James replied, "Yeah, I do.”

James averaged 32.3 points per game in four meetings with New Orleans last year. He will look to produce an offensive masterclass against the Pelicans, who are 15th in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 113.7 points per game this season.

Kareem to celebrate LeBron’s record

Sports Brief earlier reported on Abdul-Jabbar’s thoughts about James breaking his scoring record.

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The 75-year-old Hall of Famer said that he will celebrate when LeBron passes him in the scoring charts, adding that he will “sing his praises unequivocally.”

Abdul-Jabbar broke the record held by Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984, scoring the 31,420th point of his career in the game against the Utah Jazz. That record will soon be in James’ possession.