LOS ANGELES — For once, LeBron James didn’t need to worry about carrying the Los Angeles Lakers with a powerful dunk, a well-timed jumper or a dramatic 3-pointer.
James sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as the Lakers cruised to a 131-99 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
“Whatever the game takes on,” James said as he sat by his locker with ice wrapped around his knees. “I’m prepared to play whatever minutes I need to play.”
The Lakers (9-6) only needed James to play 17 minutes, while posting 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting and nine assists while the Jazz (4-10) struggled without second-year center Walker Kessler (left elbow).
Well before the Lakers officially clinched a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s In-Season tournament with a 4-0 record in Group Play, James stayed on the bench once he left the court with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
LeBron James moves beyond 39,000 points
But even on a rare night that did not require the 38-year-old James to defy Father Time, the Lakers’ star still accomplished another milestone. Nearly 9 ½ months after eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James became the first player to record over 39,000 career points.
James, who has scored 39,012 points and counting, eclipsed the 39K mark on Tuesday after making a 3-pointer with 7:11 left in the first quarter. After the Lakers called timeout at the 6:52 mark, public address announcer Lawrence Tanter congratulated James for his latest achievement.
“There have been so many great players that have come across this league since the beginning of the time,” James said. “There are so many great scorers. To be able to accomplish something that is the first of anything, it’s always pretty cool. It’s a ‘Wow moment.’
Maybe not. After Tanter congratulated James, he raised his hand toward the crowd quickly before focusing on the game.
“It’s only 39,000; not 40. So he didn’t get the game ball tonight,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, smiling. “If he gets 40K, he’ll get the game ball.”
Ham spoke those words in a playful and sarcastic tone. Beforehand, Ham spoke more seriously when he observed that “we’re witnessing something that is unprecedented” and that “we all should appreciate what we are witnessing and not take it for granted.”
In his 21st NBA season, James has averaged 26.4 points while shooting 58.6% from the field and 39.7% from 3, along with 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists. James remains on pace to mirror his career scoring average and eclipse his career averages in rebounds (7.5) as well as shooting percentage overall (50.5%) and from deep (34.5%).
All of which traces back to James’ workload.
Lakers Dilemma: Rest LeBron James or win
Ever since limiting James to 29 minutes in the Lakers’ season-opening loss to Denver, Ham has wanted to conserve James, hoping to maximize his health and efficiency through an 82-game season and perhaps a championship run.
Instead, James has played between 35 and 39 minutes in seven other games trying to help the Lakers win. James logged 42 minutes in the Lakers’ triple overtime win over the LA Clippers three weeks ago and 40 minutes in their one-point win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
James played 27 minutes in Houston two weeks ago only because the Lakers trailed by double digits for most of the game.
At a time the Lakers have expressed admiration for James’ longevity and productivity, they unintentionally took him for granted to compensate in other areas. The Lakers have nursed overlapping injuries with Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish. The Lakers’ role players, including Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince, have also shown inconsistency.
Before Tuesday’s win over the Jazz, Ham chuckled at an ESPN reporter who wrote recently, “the minutes cap has turned out to be, well, cap.” Afterward, Ham walked into the press-conference room in a cheery mood for reasons beyond the Lakers their third consecutive game.
“24 minutes, baby!!!” Ham said. “No ‘cap,’ at least tonight!”
Lakers looking for closers and hoping to get healthy
Moments later, as he sat by his locker, James hardly showed as much enthusiasm. He stressed that it’s “all good” whether he needs to play significant or limited minutes. Instead of touting the potential benefits of playing conservatively before Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks (9-5), James talked instead about how “it’s great to see the young guys be able to go out and close the game out.”
James then singled out Reaves (19 points), Christian Wood (16 points), Rui Hachimura (12) and Max Christie (seven). James didn’t bother touting Anthony Davis (26 points, 16 rebounds), considering his usual reliability.
“We have not been whole yet, not one time,” James said. “We don’t know exactly what we have. But the guys that are in the uniform, they’re going to come out and are going to try to execute the game plan offensively and defensively as close to 48 minutes as possible. We trust everybody that steps on the floor.”
The Lakers trust James on the floor. Even during his limited playing time, James looked efficient with his scoring and facilitating. Within a one-minute span in the third quarter, James threw down a one-handed dunk, made a turnaround jumper and sank a 30-foot 3.
“It’s incredible to do what he does at 38 and still score, rebound and assist,” Wood said. “I think he should be in the MVP race because he’s 38 years old. What person do you know at 38 is doing what he does?”
No one.
Nobody is scoring like LeBron James in his 21st season
In his 21st NBA season, former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points per game, about six points below James’ scoring averages thus far. Kevin Garnett (17.8 points), Vince Carter (16.7), Robert Parish (14.5) and Kevin Willis (12.1) also played 21 NBA seasons, albeit in limited roles. Meanwhile, James (539) may also eclipse Michael Jordan (562) at some point this season for most 30-point games in NBA history.
That may become more likely if James can enjoy nights as he did against Utah. James looked in a jovial mood as he sat on the bench in the fourth quarter. He belted out lyrics while rap instrumentals blared throughout the arena concourse. After Hachimura threw down a dunk, James mimicked a samurai move in nod to Hachimura’s native Japan.
Following a Reaves dunk, James shot up his hands as if his teammates’ play raised the roof. As he sat by his locker afterward, James chuckled loudly when a reporter informed him that he was older than Jazz coach Will Hardy (35).
“Just trying to push the limit and see how far I can take this thing,” James said. “It’s me vs. Father Time. So, I’m trying to change the narrative and start off last year and see if I can keep it going.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.