Lakers vs. Pelicans Moved Earlier Saturday as LeBron James Pursues NBA Scoring Record
The Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Pelicans game on Saturday has been bumped two hours earlier to 6 p.m. ET and will now be nationally televised on ESPN2 as Lakers star forward LeBron James pursues the NBA's career points record.
The 18-time All-Star and four-time NBA MVP is averaging 30.2 points per game. He needs 89 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring mark (38,387).
The Lakers' next game will be Thursday at the Indiana Pacers. They'll then head to New Orleans on Saturday before heading home for a pair of matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and Thursday, Feb. 9, respectively. The Bucks game is slated for national television on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET.
James would need to average at least 44.5 points over his next two games to break the record during the Pels matchup. That isn't totally out of the question, as James has scored 46 or more points on three separate occasions this year.
The most likely scenario, however, is that James gets it done sometime during the two-game homestand. If James keeps up his current scoring pace, he'll get it done against the Thunder. Failing that, the Bucks matchup feels like his latest scenario unless he goes ice cold.
James has been scorching hot all season, though, as the 38-year-old tears up the NBA in his 20th campaign. He also just surpassed Steve Nash for fourth all-time on the assists list.
For now, James and the Lakers are looking to stay in the win column after an impressive 129-123 road win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday in overtime. Game time Thursday at Indiana will be 7 p.m. in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
