Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets spoil LeBron James special night
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
LeBron shared this video on his IG after his milestone night 🔥
(via @KingJames) pic.twitter.com/7NV969UAPR – 12:56 AM
Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets spoil scoring milestone night for LeBron James
Alperen Sengun posts a double-double and enjoys a win in Phoenix
#NBASaturdays #EuroWatch
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/16… – 12:04 AM
LeBron James said he wouldn’t wish the type of pressure he was under at 18 on anyone pic.twitter.com/woffl3SBuj – 12:04 AM
LeBron talks 40,000 points, Lakers’ loss to Denver, advice to younger self: youtu.be/WTS3qRF8SGU?si… – 12:03 AM
We dropped a new video on LeBron getting to 40,000 points.
It’s untouchable, right?
youtube.com/watch?v=YlYbGL… pic.twitter.com/k5jJaP7M8v – 11:57 PM
LeBron said he appreciated the recognition for 40K, and always appreciates doing something that hasn’t been done. But it’s bittersweet coming in a loss:
“For me the main thing is always the main thing and that’s to win, so I hate that it happened in defeat,” he allowed. – 11:48 PM
LeBron on if there’s an answer for Nikola Jokic right now: “No. There is none.” – 11:42 PM
AD said he and LeBron were discussing how he might have to stop hitting milestones because “We always lose when it’s time to break a record.”
He then added how remarkable it is to witness greatness continue.
Davis actually ranks 11th amongst active all-time scorers (17,289). – 11:36 PM
Anthony Davis on LeBron James becoming the first NBA player to reach 40,000 points:
“As of right now, I don’t see anybody breaking his record.” – 11:36 PM
AD said he told LeBron postgame that he has to stop breaking records because every time he does the Lakers lose that game. – 11:32 PM
Darvin Ham on defending Nikola Jokic: “You just have to fight as hard as you can for as long as you can and hope he misses. Hope he misses. … You just have to keep throwing stuff at him.” – 11:25 PM
Nuggets beat the Lakers opening night, Kobe statue night, and now LeBron 40k night. You are getting a free Jaxson Hayes t-shirt as the promotion next season at the absolute most. – 11:00 PM
They asked who’s you daddy on ring night.
They ruined Mamba night.
They ruined LeBron 40k night.
Good lord. – 10:49 PM
Lakers havent even played poorly these past 7 games. They are all competitive until the end, and then Jokic invites Anthony Davis to participate in some street magic and two minutes later his watch is gone. – 10:49 PM
The Nuggets spoil LeBron’s record setting night in LA 👀
Joker tonight:
35 PTS
10 REB
7 AST
16-25 FG pic.twitter.com/elKhVPEJS4 – 10:48 PM
Final: Nuggets 124, Lakers 114
These two teams have played the same crunch time eight straight times — and the result has been the same each time. LA drops to 33-29. LeBron gets to 40K points. Big performances from Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Up next: vs. OKC on Monday. – 10:44 PM
The Jokic lob to AG is the Nuggets’ exclamation point. They end a lot of games with it. – 10:43 PM
The Lakers lose their 8th straight against the Nuggets, with Jokic, Murray and Gordon hitting back-breaking shots once again. Denver wins 124-114, outscoring L.A. by 10 in the 4th after it was tied after 3Q. – 10:43 PM
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are those dudes. You can’t stop them. You can’t even hope to contain them. – 10:40 PM
I understand AD not being primary on Jokic early on, but leaving Rui to Wither and die on Nikola in the fourth quarter just shouldn’t be happening – 10:38 PM
Credit where it’s due: excellent games for LeBron and Reaves and Rui. – 10:36 PM
LeBron may have gotten to 40k but the Blazers and Grizzlies both failed to get to 100 in regulation. Who’s to say which is more impressive. – 10:35 PM
So, that’s fubar on two counts.
It looks like that was off Jokic
But it was clearly a loose ball foul
In past NBA, refs don’t call that foul, but award the aggrieved team the basketball
And that’s why this situation exists – 10:31 PM
LeBron James increasing his all-time point total from WAY DEEP 3⃣
(via @NBA)
pic.twitter.com/nhGWNHbIjT – 10:31 PM
Man this challenge sucks. Jokic clearly fouled. But call will be off Jokic. – 10:30 PM
LeBron James scores 7 straight points in a span of 42 seconds to put the Lakers up 101-99 with 7:34 to go in the 4th Q. Timeout Denver. – 10:25 PM
The Nuggets had some fourth quarter separation, and then LeBron takes over for two and a half minutes. A three, a couple of buckets, he scores seven quickly and the Lakers take a 101-99 lead over Denver. Michael Malone calls time…James is suddenly up to 20 points and 9 assists – 10:25 PM
A pair of 3’s from Porter Jr. (5 for 5 from 3) and Murray (his 1st) put Denver up 5, but LeBron responded with 7 straight points put LAL up 101-99 into a Nuggets time out with 7:34 to play. – 10:25 PM
Jokic does something crazy like this every night pic.twitter.com/vGsUl5218c – 10:18 PM
Jokic always looks like he’s been mauled by a tiger or something. Scratches all over his arms. Guy is pure magic on the basketball floor, tho. Lakers are in this one. – 10:16 PM
Third quarter: Lakers 89, Nuggets 89
Denver outscored LA 31-23 in the third. Rui Hachimura leads LA w/ 23 points. AR has 14 points and 11 assists. AD has 15 points and 10 rebounds. LeBron has 13 points and 8 assists. DLo has 17 points (he’s just 1-for-6 since starting 5-for-7). – 10:16 PM
Denver needs more Murray and MPJ magic to begin the 4th here. Jokic needs a breather. – 10:16 PM
Jokic doings Jokic things 🃏
(via @nuggets)
pic.twitter.com/6OtXeno9eT – 10:13 PM
Reporting on ABC Countdown on the future of Bronny and LeBron James in the NBA together pic.twitter.com/M49pFCHFXV – 10:12 PM
Jokic has 13 straight points for Denver, including a 3, and a banked-in fadeaway, that has the Nuggets up 88-87 despite Hachimura’s 3rd triple, plus a layup on the other end in the last 48 seconds. – 10:08 PM
LeBron James became the first NBA player to score 40,000 points. The great Jim Hill and I put the milestone in perspective on @SportsCentralLA pic.twitter.com/4AFFiUMuTQ – 9:58 PM
LeBron is the youngest and oldest to score 40,000. Literally the NBA’s only unbreakable record. – 9:40 PM
Halftime: Lakers 66, Nuggets 58
That was one of LA’s best offensive halves of the season. AD has 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. LeBron has 11 points and 6 assists (and 40,002 points and counting). AR has 9 points and 8 assists. DLo has 13 points. Rui has 13 points. – 9:36 PM
Rui’s gonna get away with guarding Jokic if he’s allowed to physically assault him. – 9:34 PM
Duo’s gonna get away with guarding Jokic if he’s allowed to physically assault him. – 9:34 PM
On LeBron’s 40,000-point feat and why even this lifelong Jordan loyalist can admit this much: No one can touch LBJ’s legacy now. Much more here on the (flawed and tired) GOAT debate, at @TheAthletic
theathletic.com/5311453/2024/0… – 9:31 PM
Putting LeBron James’ 40,000 points in perspective, from the absurd to the amazing usatoday.com/story/sports/n… – 9:31 PM
Rui Hachimura had only 2 points in LAL’s loss to Denver in February, but tonight, he’s up to 13 points on 6 of 7 FG’s after hitting a pull-up J to make it 58-47.
He’s also been the primary defender on Jokic, allowing LAL to keep Davis off him and help close other gaps. – 9:27 PM
Watch LeBron James become the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points
nbcsports.com/nba/news/watch… – 9:27 PM
Story: Lakers’ LeBron James becomes the first NBA player to score 40,000 career points @washingtonpost @PostSports washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03… – 9:25 PM
New story: LeBron, the youngest player to 1K, 2K, 3K, 4K, 5K, 6K, 7K, 8K, 9K, 10K, 11K, 12K, 13K, 14K, 15K, 16K, 17K, 18K, 19K, 20K, 21K, 22K, 23K, 24K, 25K, 26K, 27K, 28K, 29K, 30K, 31K, 32K, 33K, 34K, 35K, 36K, 37K, 38K; the 1st and only to 39K, 40K bit.ly/3P6WEdT – 9:24 PM
Lakers are letting Jokic attack Hachimura 1-on-1, with Davis helping when he can, and Jokic has 14 points on 7 of 12 FG’s but, importantly for LAL, only 1 assist in 13 minutes. – 9:24 PM
A player breaking into the league today would need to average 25 points a game for 1600 games, or 19.51 seasons, to get to where LeBron is right now.
Good luck with that. BK – 9:23 PM
The Lakers honored LeBron scoring 40,000 points during the timeout pic.twitter.com/PEKM4fFx0W – 9:19 PM
LeBron James scored his record-setting bucket off of a spin move. It’s become a go-to move in recent seasons. espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 9:19 PM
LeBron James is the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points. Here’s the moment it happened. pic.twitter.com/BwrqccKGcZ – 9:19 PM
LeBron receives a standing ovation after becoming the first player to reach 40,000 points in NBA history 👏 pic.twitter.com/zsnyFBeLX0 – 9:18 PM
If you took the average of the total points scored by me and LeBron James, he’d still be 56th all time. Right between John Stockton and Antawn Jamison. BK – 9:18 PM
LeBron has more career points than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson combined – 9:16 PM
LeBron James is the fist player in NBA history to score 40,000 points. He needed only nine points to reach that milestone, which he accomplished at the top of the second quarter off a layup, drawing a raucous standing ovation from the crowd at Crypto. – 9:15 PM
LeBron James scored his first NBA points on October 29, 2003
40,000 points later, here we are – 9:14 PM
LeBron James drops 40,000 career points in this Nike LeBron 21 pic.twitter.com/OqFOn04f3Z – 9:14 PM
League sources: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has added to his career point total. – 9:13 PM
Lakers’ LeBron James is the first NBA player to score 40,000 points.
James scored his first 10,000 points in the exact same number of games as it took him to go from 30,000 to 40,000
– 10K in 368 games
– 10K to 20K in 358 games
– 20K to 30K in 381 games
– 30K to 40K in 368 games pic.twitter.com/mw5nkSizyy – 9:13 PM
With that dime to D’Angelo Russell, LeBron James just became the all-time leading assist leader (1) among players with 40,000+ points. AK – 9:13 PM
There it is: @KingJames becomes the first NBA player to score 40,000 points, doing so on a left-handed layup after a pretty spin move. – 9:12 PM
With this layup, LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career regular-season points pic.twitter.com/RUnRlPhkTx – 9:12 PM
LeBron needed to do it on a drive to the rim like that. Hitting a 3 just wouldn’t have felt right. – 9:11 PM
Lakers’ LeBron James is first NBA player to reach 40,000 career points pic.twitter.com/uF4kGpWg2I – 9:11 PM
LeBron James is the fist player in NBA history to score 40,000 points. He needed only nine points to reach that milestone, which he accomplished at the top of the second quarter off a layup, drawing a raucous standing ovation from the crowd at Crypto.com Arena. – 9:11 PM
Lakers’ LeBron James reaches 40,000 career points. First player in NBA history to accomplish that mark. – 9:11 PM
First quarter: Lakers 33, Nuggets 27
An impressive first quarter for LA. They shot 61.9%, scoring 18 points in the paint and 7 in transition. Rui Hachimura has 9 points. AD has 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks (both on Nikola Jokic). LeBron has 5 points — he’s 4 away from 40K. – 9:06 PM
Wrote this a year ago and still just as true today: LeBron is likely to walk away with a scoring record of at least 42,000 points, and of current active players Luka Doncic is probably the only one with even a prayer of catching him.
theathletic.com/4142981/2023/0… – 9:01 PM
Nikola Jokić telling LeBron James the Nuggets are going to stop him tonight and it getting picked up by the mic is the content I live for – 8:54 PM
The Lakers brought out the point tracker again tonight for LeBron. pic.twitter.com/Uoog5WgAm6 – 8:54 PM
Good start for the Lakers, who hit 8 of 11 shots to open an 18-12 lead heading into the first time out.
Rui Hachimura is 3 for 3 for 7 points, with Denver getting 6 points apiece from Jokic (3 for 6) and Porter Jr. (2 for 2 from 3). – 8:48 PM
Nice sequence for Rui. Held his position long enough against Jokic for AD to provide weakside help and a miss, then a three in transition. AK – 8:45 PM
Mentions of how close the Western Conference Finals was in the first minute: 1
Nikola Jokic buckets in the first minute: 2 – 8:43 PM
“With [Jamal] Murray being back, that’s the best duo in basketball.” 👀
@kendrickperkins on the Lakers facing Jokic and Murray. pic.twitter.com/HF9oVhxX87 – 8:43 PM
Rui Hachimura is the Lakers’ primary Nikola Jokic defender early in Lakers-Nuggets. – 8:42 PM
Nuggets starters at Lakers:
Jamal Murray
Christian Braun
Michael Porter Jr.
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic – 8:01 PM
Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy), LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) have been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight’s game vs. Denver. – 7:59 PM
Going live with the fellas and won’t stop being live for 4 hours. Come join.
Pregame -> Watch Along -> Postgame
Nuggets look to play spoiler
Is Jokic’s ceiling as high as LeBron’s?
Murray, KCP update
📺 youtube.com/live/eKAOJzRru… pic.twitter.com/u4zKJeitRg – 7:58 PM
The Lakers have a running countdown for LeBron James reaching 40,000 points pic.twitter.com/CJdSnxsuGi – 7:27 PM
Draymond Green entertains hypothetical LeBron James discussion warriorswire.usatoday.com/2024/03/02/dra… pic.twitter.com/rWaVEo9x6c – 6:05 PM
Content from this week:
Damian Lillard, Unplugged: shorturl.at/cWZ28
Power Rankings! And @JayTatum0’s MVP case: shorturl.at/msu59
Column: LeBron keeps delivering shorturl.at/pKWY3
Column: What’s up with Ryan Garcia? shorturl.at/hoLQ8
@TheCrossover NBA… – 4:27 PM
I’m going to miss the Nuggets game tonight as LeBron James surely goes for 40,000 points to see if Bronny James will beat his o/u of 2.5 points. pic.twitter.com/rXHGxlzFT1 – 3:34 PM
Kevin Garnett is all in on Nikola Jokic 👏🔥
(via @allthesmokeprod) pic.twitter.com/2dPpRUEW9f – 2:20 PM
Call it now.
How will LeBron score his 40,000th career point? pic.twitter.com/rVD1gXoVUP – 2:02 PM
Giannis Antetokounmpo is now the top player of the season, per HoopsHype’s Global Rating.
Mind you, Giannis, Shai and Jokic have lost five games combined this year. pic.twitter.com/7WfWTnd2Di – 9:22 AM
More on this storyline