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The Lakers star knew his incredible run of reaching double digits was at risk. At the decisive instant, however, it didn't concern him.

The smart move was to pass the rock – so he did. Consequently, his remarkable run was over.

James's astounding streak of over 1,200 straight NBA regular season outings scoring at least ten ended during a recent game, as the NBA's all-time scoring leader had only eight points during the Los Angeles Lakers' close victory over the Toronto Raptors. He delivered the game-winning assist, finding teammate Rui Hachimura to hit a triple to win the game.

“Nothing,” James stated after being questioned on the record concluding. “The important thing is we won.”

An Unselfish Decision Secures the Win

LeBron had the chance to sought to clinch the game – and preserved his record – with the last shot, yet he opted to pass to his teammate stationed in the corner. Hachimura made the shot, prompting James raised his arms immediately.

You have to play the game correctly. Always make the smart play,” James explained. “That’s just been my philosophy. It's how I learned to play. I've played that way for two decades.”

James is fully cognizant exactly how many points he's scored at any point,” stated Lakers coach JJ Redick. “He did it just as he has countless times.”

The Record's End Game

James re-entered the game for the final time at under five and a half minutes to go, the result and his personal record both hanging in the balance. He had a mere six points on 3-of-15 shooting then.

He managed a basket at 1:46 left to tie the game then missed a 14-footer with one minute to go that might have gotten him into double figures.

He avoided taking one more attempt – but could have. A teammate passed him the ball as time wound down, but James opted to make the extra pass instead of shooting.

The basketball deities, if you approach it correctly, they will repay you,” the coach concluded.

Reflecting on an Unparalleled Run

James's streak started over eighteen years ago. It was, by far the greatest such streak in professional basketball: MJ previously held a streak of 866 consecutive double-digit scoring games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 787 such games, and Karl Malone recorded with 575.

He is such an unselfish player,” noted Lakers center Jake LaRavia.

He focuses on playing hoops. He could have shot but because of who he is on the court and just who he is off the court, he made the pass, dished to Hachimura and claimed the victory.”

Getting to ten points was usually a formality long before the fourth quarter began. During James’s streak, he had achieved double figures by the beginning of the final quarter over twelve hundred times before this game.

Yet two of those unusual single-digit games through three quarters took place just days before: He recorded nine points going into the fourth against Dallas on 28 November, then had six points going into the fourth against Phoenix earlier in the week.

James managed to keep the streak alive in the Phoenix game. The very next outing, it finished – and he celebrated anyway.

My focus is to make the best play. That’s automatic, win, lose or draw,” James declared. If you make the right play, the basketball gods are always giving back to me.”