LeBron James has passed Michael Jordan for the most consecutive double-digit scoring games in NBA history.
With James' 10th points Saturday (AEDT), the 33-year-old has now scored at least 10 points in 867 career games. Jordan was the previous best at 866. The King eventually finished with 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
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New Orleans rode a tremendous first-half performance by its bench, then built a 13-point second-half lead, but couldn’t finish off Saturday's key interconference matchup in the final period. Cleveland outscored its guests 33-22 in the third period, a pivotal frame that turned the momentum in the hosts' favour and got the sold-out crowd at Quicken Loans Arena back into it.
The Pelicans, who finished 21-9 against the Eastern Conference this season, have only six games remaining in the regular season, with Monday's a critical one against close-in-the-standings Oklahoma City.
Jrue Holiday’s tough running layup misfired, allowing Cleveland to grab the rebound with 8 seconds left, leading by four. Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith sank one of two free throws to make it 107-102.
Holiday previously had a chance to tie the game with a deep three-point attempt, but the shot hit the back of the rim, forcing New Orleans to foul Cleveland on the latter’s defensive rebound.
According to ESPN, James now has more 50-point games in his career (11) than outings with less than 10 points (8).
The historic bucket!
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 31, 2018
📺 @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/ugGXdkXkub
James is the seventh leading scorer in NBA history. Coming into the game Saturday he was 1,437 points behind Jordan for fifth on the all-time list.
Jordan's streak lasted from March 25, 1986, through Dec. 26, 2001, while playing for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
Most Consecutive Games With At Least 10 Points
Player | Games | Span
LeBron James | 867 | Jan. 2007 to present
Michael Jordan | 866 | March 1986 to Dec. 2001
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 787 | Dec. 1977 to Dec. 1987
Karl Malone | 575 | Dec. 1991 to March 1999
Kevin Durant | 562 | March 2009 to Feb. 2017