Getty Wesley Matthews, right, of the Lakers
Not only did Lakers forward LeBron James turn 36 on Wednesday night, with his team playing the Spurs, but he reached a personal milestone midway through the second quarter of the game in San Antonio. By sinking a six-foot hook shot for his 10th and 11th points, James became the only player in league history to go 1,000 straight regular-season games with at least 10 points.
The bucket that made LeBron James the 1st player in @NBAHistory to score 10+ PTS in 1,000 consecutive regular season games!
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When it comes to the James streak, teammate Wes Matthews had an emphatic reaction.
“I just found out about that,” Matthews told reporters. “It’s a disgusting statistic. It’s awesome. A guy that has done so much for this league, done so much for the game, on and off the court—a milestone like that, some guys never reach 1,000 games, period. For him to be the focal point of every defensive strategy, you look at a guy like that, there is nobody who has been game-planned against more than him and has had more success against each game plan. That is a credit to him, a credit to his work. It’s awesome to be a part of.”
LeBron James Last Missed Double-Figures in 2007
The last time that James failed to score double-digits in a game? January 5, 2007, when he scored eight points against Milwaukee, while playing in Cleveland. James was 3-for-13 from the field that night, but the Cavs still won, as forward Drew Gooden (31 points) and Larry Hughes (22 points) picked up the scoring slack.
Against the Spurs, James was considerably better, finishing with 26 points on 11-for-23 shooting, with eight assists.
It was back in 2018 that James passed Michael Jordan for the NBA record, when he recorded his 867th straight game with 10-plus points. James credited preparation for the long streak.
“I just go out there and try to prepare and be the best every night I step on the floor,” James said after the game. “If I’m in uniform, I’ve got to do things that help our team win. If it’s scoring, rebounding, defending, assisting, doing little things. Just be available for my teammates throughout the course of the game when I’m on the floor, also on the bench. And I’ve been fortunate enough to do that throughout my career for the majority of it.
Wes Matthews Excelled From the 3-Point Line, Finally
For his part, Matthews had his best game as a Laker while James was establishing the milestone. He shot 6-for-6 from the field, all six shots coming from behind the 3-point line. Matthews had scored just eight points total in his first four games, and was 0-for-8 from the 3-point arc in those games.
Six shots. Six treys. Say hello to Wesley Matthews.
“I feel like I can get hot, I feel like I can make every shot that I shoot, so I won’t say it’s unusual,” Matthews said after the game. “I am definitely grateful to my teammates, credit to my teammates, coaching staff being consistently supportive, consistently optimistic. Obviously, I did not start the season out shooting the way I would like to from behind the arc, or this period. So to have a game like this, it feels great.”
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