Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James has cleared another hurdle in his race to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

The Los Angeles Lakers star moved into second place on the scoring list, surpassing Karl Malone (36,928 points), with his 20th point in Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards.

This is the second major scoring milestone James has set during the 2021-22 season. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for most combined points between the regular season and playoffs during a Feb. 12 game against the Golden State Warriors.

James had been in third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list since Jan. 25, 2020, when he passed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's mark of 33,643 points during his 20-year career.

Over the course of his storied career, James has insisted that he's not a scorer. He even had this tweet at the end of the 2020-21 season in response to a graphic about him posting his 17th consecutive year averaging at least 25 points per game:

Despite not thinking of himself primarily as a scorer, James passed Malone's scoring mark in 113 fewer games than it took the Mailman to reach the mark.

James' scoring average of 27.1 points per game is the fifth-highest mark in league history. He has been on a scoring barrage of late with two 50-point outings in a four-game span from March 5 to 11.

The only player still ahead of James on the NBA all-time scoring list is Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). He could move into first place at some point next season, as long as he remains healthy.

Abdul-Jabbar's final regular-season game in the NBA was on April 23, 1989. He scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 26 minutes against the Seattle SuperSonics.

There's little James has yet to accomplish in his storied career. He's a four-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star, three-time NBA MVP and a 17-time All-NBA team selection.

Adding the NBA's all-time points record to his resume would be a cherry on top of things for James.

The bottom continues to drop out for the Los Angeles Lakers, with their latest low point coming Wednesday night in a 139-130 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets.

LeBron James had a chance to win the game on a drive to the basket as time expired in regulation but instead passed the ball out to Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony's jumper from 22 feet hit the back side of the rim to keep the score tied at 120. 

"On the drive, I had an angle, for sure. And then David Nwaba came over. And I took a lone one-two step and ended up behind the backboard," James told reporters about passing on the layup after the game. "I was a little bit off-balance. And I could've forced a reverse layup, but I wasn't in the position to feel like I could have gotten a great look. I could have got a decent look, and I feel like Melo's look was a lot better than mine. So, it's literally that simple."

It certainly wasn't an easy look for James. He was able to get around Eric Gordon, but David Nwaba was in a perfect position to cut off a direct lane to the basket.

At the time James made the pass to Anthony, his body was underneath the backboard. It wasn't a high-percentage shot for Anthony to take either, as he was also rushed because Kenyon Martin Jr. did a good job closing out to force him to take an extra step before getting into his shooting motion.

The Lakers completely ran out of steam in overtime. The Rockets scored the first 13 points of the extra period to take a 133-120 lead en route to winning for the second time in three games after losing 12 straight from Feb. 4 to March 4.

James did finish with a triple-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists with four blocks, but he also committed five turnovers and shot just 9-of-26 from the field (1-of-9 from three-point range).

Tuesday's loss also continues a downward trend for the Lakers that has been going on for nearly two months.

Since a Jan. 25 win over the Brooklyn Nets moved them back to .500 at 24-24, the Lakers have lost 13 of their last 17 games.

Los Angeles is a season-high nine games under .500 (28-37) and is just 1.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, the current 10th seed in the Western Conference.   

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters star LeBron James will miss Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs because of "significant" left knee soreness.

"His health takes precedence over any matchup, over any one game, for sure," Vogel said.

James already missed time earlier this season with knee and abdominal injuries, and any physical setback is sure to cause worry because of his overall importance to the team and the fact that he is 37 years old.

While Los Angeles has struggled to find consistency this season despite championship expectations, James has again been a dominant playmaker on the court and is averaging 29.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

His resume stacks up among the all-time greats, as he has four championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, four league MVPs and 17 All-NBA selections. He is the main reason the Lakers still have some hopes for the campaign even though they have not played anywhere near the level of the league's best teams.

Los Angeles will likely rely even more on Russell Westbrook to carry the offense while James is sidelined, while Talen Horton-Tucker and Avery Bradley will see more playing time.       

In a season fraught with seemingly endless streams of misfires and melodramatics and moments to forget, the Los Angeles Lakers were finally treated to a night worth committing to memory on Saturday.

And it was, predictably, all thanks to LeBron James.

Yet, on the heels of a riveting performance from one of the two best players in NBA history, the realists in the room can't help but wonder: Does it even matter? Or is this just a fleeting, meaningless intermission from the hard-to-watch hellfire this Lakers season has become?

It took LeBron 56 points, in a game-high 38-minutes-and-change, to spearhead a 124-116 victory over the Draymond Green-less Golden State Warriors. Those are not miles you want to put on your age-37 cornerstone. But neither he nor the Lakers can afford to care how they pick up wins. They just need to get them—badly, desperately, whenever they can, against whomever is in front of them.

Saturday's victory, punctuated by LeBron's incomprehensible brilliance, is first and foremost a palate cleanser. The Lakers entered the night embroiled in a four-game losing streak and stuck in the throes of a much longer stretch that saw them drop 16 of 22, through which they solidified themselves as a fringe play-in team tottering on the precipice of total implosion.

This win is relief, a respite from Los Angeles' worse-than-worst-case-scenario season, in its most basic form. But that reprieve will be short-lived. It has, in fact, already expired. 

LeBron wasted little time in admitting as much after topping the 55-point mark for the fourth time of his career. Asked by ESPN's Lisa Salters to assess the the meaning behind his performance and the victory, he responded simply and succinctly—and somewhat solemnly 

"Desperation."

Just 19 games remain for the Lakers, and the reality of what they're up against is no less crushing after a primetime win in March, not when they needed an historically significant detonation from LeBron to overtake a Warriors team in relative free fall.

There is no room for moral victories, no such thing as an expected win. There is only urgency

Every win, any win, needs to be a turning point. 

To what end Saturday can represent a defining about-face for the Lakers will be a matter of course. They have LeBron, so they have hope. This time around, though, that hope is without clear form.

Standout moments from Malik Monk (4-of-9 from three, perpetual hustle) and Austin Reaves (defense, defense, plus-18, defense) are a reminder Los Angeles has unearthed bright spots amid their gloom. Carmelo Anthony (14 points, still a bucket) has been quietly solid all year.

Even Russell Westbrook peppered in encouraging spurts. He had more turnovers (five) than assists (four) and turned in some truly atrocious defensive possessions. He also put pressure on the rim (8-of-11 inside the paint and restricted area) and made a couple of late buckets and key plays. 

There is also the belief to which the Lakers have clung all along: that they can be special, or at least competent, at full strength. 

Anthony Davis' return from a right mid-foot sprain will determine how close Los Angeles gets to whole. He is more than halfway through a four-week timeline, at the end of which he will be re-evaluated. His availably is hardly guaranteed, but an infusion of superstar power alongside a still-somehow-in-his-prime LeBron would go a long way.

Then again, there is a fragility to the Lakers that hasn't dissipated even with AD. They have won the minutes he plays at the 5 beside LeBron and Russ, but only barely. And they have decidedly lost the possessions AD and James have logged without Westbrook.

Every version of this season's Lakers has been left scrambling—searching for answers they so clearly don't employ. There is no escaping the delicateness, if not hopelessness, of their immediate situation.

So much of their yearlong struggles have been pinned on Westbrook. That's not totally fair.

To be sure, he has not been good. His finishing around the hoop was flirting with career lows entering Saturday, he's a more severe non-threat from mid-range and above the break, and his turnover rate has hit an all-time high.

But Westbrook's play is not the force driving the Lakers' downward spiral. The decision to obliterate their depth and a first-round pick to acquire him was not his own. He did not cheap out on Alex Caruso in free agency. And he is not responsible for turning Danny Green and a first-rounder into a one-year rental of Dennis Schroder. 

Blame for the Lakers' potentially lost season can, and should, and must, be distributed up and down the organizational spectrum.

Many of head coach Frank Vogel's frontcourt rotations and small-ball lineups have verged on inexplicable. Westbrook has largely been a net negative while apparently resisting functional change. Both LeBron and AD reportedly pushed for the Westbrook trade.

The front office, led by general manager Rob Pelinka, acquiesced to their superstars. And in doing so, they failed to do their jobs, more than anyone involved, because it's on them to set boundaries and make decisions. They then exacerbated the frailty of this roster by not only letting Caruso walk but by doing literally, actually, absolutely nothing at the trade deadline.

Inaction through Feb. 10 is arguably the Lakers' most egregious misstep. Making moves just for the sake of making moves is never a good idea; flipping Westbrook and draft equity for John Wall wouldn't have necessarily made them better in the interim or down the road.

But doing nothing is more unforgivable than doing something—anything. LeBron is 37. Davis is just 28, but his body has been through the wringer. Your timeline isn't next season. It is right the hell now. Even the most modest of transactions could have mattered. (Scooping up D.J. Augustin doesn't count.)

By standing pat, the Lakers consigned themselves to the same unrelenting scrutiny and criticism and speculation that has plagued them all season. Now they're left contemplating measures equally drastic and hollow—like demoting Westbrook from the starting lineup.

Going that route is an empty gesture. Westbrook's minutes can be more rigidly staggered and diminished if they won't want him to start. Bouncing him from the rotation altogether probably doesn't do anything. The Lakers are not built to displace someone averaging 34-plus minutes per game and call it addition by subtraction. 

What exactly are they built for then? If Saturday becomes a turning point, then we don't yet know. If it doesn't, then they're exactly who they've been all year: an irredeemably flawed team that has compounded its own mistakes and wasted a precious season of LeBron's prime, without a discernible or guaranteed path back to title contention. 

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering Saturday's games. Salary information via Spotrac.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by NBA Math's Adam Fromal.

As the Los Angeles Lakers slide down the Western Conference standings, head coach Frank Vogel's job status is a major talking point. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers "would like to get through the rest of this season" with Vogel as their coach.

Since a 106-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 25 that got them back to .500 (24-24), the Lakers have lost 11 of 14 games.

Los Angeles is on a four-game losing streak, including a 132-11 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. The Clippers had a 23-0 run in the third quarter and outscored the Lakers 40-18 in the period to open up a 25-point lead.

Injuries and poor performances from key players have taken a toll on the Lakers. Anthony Davis has only played in 37 of their 62 games. Wojnarowski reported last week that Davis could miss another four to five weeks with a foot sprain.

Vogel told reporters after the Clippers loss that the team has "talked about everything" in response to a question about using Russell Westbrook off the bench. 

Westbrook, who is in his first season with the Lakers, is shooting 43.3 percent and averaging 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.

Vogel was named Lakers head coach in 2019. He led them to an NBA title during his first season, but the past two years have seen the team struggle. They were the No. 7 seed in the playoffs last season after defeating the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament but lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

They would currently make the play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, but they only have a one-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans (26-36) in the 10th spot.    

LeBron James has scored more points than anyone else in NBA history, including the playoffs, but he's bothered by the fact he's not considered one of the league's best scorers.

The Los Angeles Lakers star gave his thoughts on the latest episode of The Shop (18:12):

"When they talk about the best scorers of all time, they never mention my name," LeBron said.

"It pisses me off," he added. 

While there is always debate about who is the greatest of all time, LeBron is undoubtedly in the conversation thanks to his all-around contributions on the court. He even admitted on The Shop that he prefers being a facilitator.

"I'm not like a natural scorer," James said. "I love getting my guys involved, I've always been that way."

The 37-year-old is still one of the best scorers in league history, currently ranking third all-time in points scored behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His 27.06 career points per game is also fifth-best ever. 

While LeBron has just one scoring title—well short of the 10 won by Michael Jordan—the consistency has been incredible. He is on his way to his 18th straight year of at least 25 points per game after averaging 20.9 as a rookie.

The 19-year veteran has taken it to a new level this season with the rest of his team struggling, averaging 28.8 points per game to rank third in the NBA. It would be his highest scoring average since 2009-10 when he won MVP with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It helps James build a case as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history to go with his other impressive attributes.     

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James provided some insight this week into how he motivates himself before games.

On Friday's episode of The Shop: Uninterrupted, James revealed that he sometimes looks for a detractor in the stands to get himself pumped up for games (beginning at the 17:24 mark):

"I go out on the floor during warm-ups and I'll just be looking for a LeBron hater. I just need one of them. I'll be like, 'Please, let me find this one LeBron hater. I need it.' In the crowd, for warm-ups, it's like 20 minutes before the game starts and I'm just looking like, 'Oh, I found this motherf--ker. Oh yeah, I'm ready. I'm gonna be ready to go tonight.'"

LeBron suggested that looking for haters is something he only does on occasion when he needs a pick-me-up before games after getting a poor night's sleep or going through something that prevents him from being locked in.

It is safe to say that LeBron's motivational tactics have worked well over the years given that he has established himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

The 37-year-old veteran has spent 19 seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers, and during that time he has earned 18 All-Star selections, four NBA MVP awards, four NBA championships and four NBA Finals MVP awards.

Few can measure up to those accolades, with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell being among that elite group alongside James.

Additionally, LeBron is third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind only Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, and since he is less than 2,000 points behind Kareem, it seems almost certain that he will claim the top spot at some point.

Given all the success LeBron has enjoyed over the years, it is tough to argue with his methods, although they haven't necessarily worked out well this season.

James is as productive as ever with averages of 28.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, but that hasn't translated into much team success.

The Lakers are a disappointing 27-35 on the season, placing them ninth in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is also just two games ahead of the 11th-placed Portland Trail Blazers for a spot in the postseason play-in tournament.

Part of the reason for the Lakers' struggles is the fact that Anthony Davis has missed significant time due to injury. That has been especially damaging lately, as the Lakers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

A LeBron-led team is always a threat to do damage come playoff time, however, and if James can find ways to motivate himself and the Lakers as a whole, they are likely still a team that the opposition would rather not face during the postseason.

Russell Westbrook said he's still trying to find a comfort zone with the Los Angeles Lakers amid a role that's "changed every single night."

Westbrook's struggles continued Thursday night as he knocked down just seven of his 16 shots en route to 17 points in a 132-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He also recorded only three assists and couldn't defend Reggie Jackson, who put up a game-high 36 points.

"I'm not a quitter. It's not in my genes," Westbrook told reporters. "I don't quit, regardless of what the hell is going on. I'm going to fight to the end, and if it don't work, that's cool, too. I can live with the results. But I'm never going to give up or give in because of a little struggle that's happening this time of the year." 

The Lakers' offseason roster overhaul, which was headlined by acquiring the 2016-17 NBA MVP from the Washington Wizards, hasn't achieved the desired results.

A major part of that is the team's second straight season of injury woes. LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who's currently sidelined by a foot injury, have combined to miss 42 games, and L.A. hasn't been able to overcome those key absences.

The story may be different if Westbrook was putting together a better season, but he's been unable to make a consistently positive impact at either end of the floor.

His WAR stands at negative-1.4, according to FiveThirtyEight metrics, which ranks 247th out of 250 qualified players in the NBA.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was asked after Thursday's game whether the coaching staff considered shifting Westbrook to a bench role.

"We've talked about everything," Vogel replied.

Meanwhile, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported Wednesday there's "mutual interest" between L.A. and the point guard in finding him a new home in the offseason ahead of the final season of his five-year, $206.8 million contract.

Even though there's still time for the Lakers to turn things around, the potential for that to happen fades with each passing loss. They now sit ninth in the Western Conference with a 27-35 record and will have to fight just to earn a play-in tournament berth.

A late-season resurgence from Westbrook would provide a major boost, especially if Davis also returns to bolster the lineup, but it's easy to understand if fans' optimism is waning.

Next up for L.A. is a home game against the Golden State Warriors (43-20) on Saturday night.

Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy said point guard Russell Westbrook must "stop feeling sorry for himself" to help the Lakers during the stretch run of the 2021-22 regular season.

Worthy provided his view on Westbrook during a conversation Wednesday on Spectrum SportsNet (via TalkBasket), saying he believes the nine-time All-Star is thinking too much and it's caused him to alter his playstyle to the detriment of his production.

"He knows he's vital to this team, and he knows that his performance is not what he'd like it to be," Worthy said. "I personally don't like to see Russ with zero turnovers. I like to see him with at least three or four maybe. That means he's aggressive; he has an aggressive style of play, and when he's in that mode, he's productive."

Westbrook hasn't shied away from taking responsbility for his poor play throughout the season. That continued after Tuesday's 109-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, which saw him score just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field.

"Got to be better overall," the 2016-17 NBA MVP told reporters. "What I'm doing right now ain't good enough. It ain't good enough."

As Worthy referenced, Westbrook finished the game with no turnovers, but his play as a whole still wasn't good enough to push L.A. into the win column.

The 33-year-old has never been an efficient shooter. His career shooting percentage stands at 43.7 percent, including an unsightly 30.4 percent from three-point range.

Yet the idea when he was acquired from the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster trade last summer was that putting him alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis would lessen the shooting burden and allow him to thrive with his all-around production.

It hasn't materialized that way, in large part because both James and Davis have missed sizable chunks of the campaign because of injuries, such as Davis' foot ailment that's sidelined him since mid-February.

So Westbrook has been thrust into a high-volume role on pretty much a nightly basis, and the results speak for themselves. He ranks 247th out of 250 qualified players in FiveThirtyEight's WAR metric, and the Lakers own a 27-34 record.

Worthy isn't the first Lakers legend to provide him with some advice. In January, Shaquille O'Neal discussed a conversation he had with the two-time scoring champion about slowing down the game:

Los Angeles is running out of time for Westbrook to find a rhythm. It sits ninth in the Western Conference and is facing competition from the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings for a play-in tournament berth.

The Lakers have a key game Thursday night when they take on the rival Los Angeles Clippers, who are eighth in the West at 33-31.