Lakers’ LeBron James almost broke a streak he’s had going for the last 17 years in a loss to Phoenix

After a 127-109 loss to the Suns on Thursday night, the Lakers are 19-20 this season. They’re currently 10th in the West and have gone 4-6 in their last 10 games. D’Angelo Russell’s 19 points off the bench led the Lakers and it was a rough night for the offense. No starter scored more than 13 points. 

Thirty-nine-year-old LeBron James finished the night with 10 points and came dangerously close to breaking a streak he’s had since 2007. In his last 1,186 games, the league’s all-time scorer has had at least 10 points. The last time he didn’t have 10 points in a game was in January of 2007. Luckily, James was able to get 10 points last night and his historic streak continues.

The Lakers are not winning games as consistently as they’d like to be in the 2023-24 season

LeBron James tonight:

24 MIN

10 PTS

5 REB

9 AST

3/11 | 27 FG%

Keeping the 10+ points streak alive. pic.twitter.com/CRKE2TATR1

— Jose (@JoseLAL23) January 12, 2024

A few weeks ago, LeBron James turned 39 years old and he’s playing in his 21st professional season. There’s no denying that James is getting older and father time could be catching up to him. However, James still plays at an incredibly high level. Though it hasn’t translated to consistent wins for the Lakers this season. The team is one game under .500 after a loss to the Suns on Thursday. Los Angeles is 10th in the Western Conference.

Scoring under 20 points in a game is not something that James is used to in his career. It has happened a few more times than usual in 2023-24. In his career, James has scored at least 20 points a remarkable 83 percent of his games played. That’s why James finishing with just 10 points against the Suns was such a rarity. Earlier this month, James had 12 points in a 110-96 loss to the Heat. He followed that up with a 32-point performance. There is no denying that time is catching up to James, but he’s still got a lot of gas left in the tank.

Fun NBA fact:

Both Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry failed to score 10 points last night.

LeBron James has scored at least 10 points in 1,185 consecutive games.

The streak spans more than 17 years.

The 2nd longest streak ever? Michael Jordan… 866 games.

— The Dividend Breeder (@DividendBreeder) January 8, 2024

James’ scoring streak stays alive, but the King is certainly more interested in winning games and improving the teams’ record. Their next game is Saturday at 9:30 p.m. EST  on the road vs. the Utah Jazz. Los Angeles previously played the Jazz earlier this season and won 131-99 at home. Anthony Davis’ 26 points led the Lakers in scoring. LeBron James’ seven assists led the team in that win vs. Utah. They’ll look to have a similar performance on Saturday night.