LeBron James is once again on the doorstep of history.
Less than 24 hours after turning in a heroic 34-point performance in a comeback win over the Clippers, James and the Lakers look to build upon their late-season momentum when they host the Wizards on Thursday night. Also of note: James enters the night 40 points away from reaching the 40,000-point milestone.
James, who became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, is putting his record in uncharted — and unreachable — territory. Based on his 19-point fourth quarter against the Clippers, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he gets all 40 points against Washington’s league-worst defense.
Follow along below as The Sporting News tracks live scoring updates and highlights from Lakers vs. Wizards as James inches toward another incredible scoring milestone.
MORE: What to know about LeBron James’ scoring record as he approaches 40K
Lakers vs. Wizards score
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
| Lakers | 31 | 39 | 29 | — | — |
| Wizards | 34 | 35 | 26 | — | — |
LeBron James stats vs. Wizards
19 points (7/11 FG, 1/3 3P, 4/5 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 24 minutes
How many points does LeBron James need to reach 40,000 points?
LeBron James is 21 points away from 40,000 career points.
LeBron James live stats, updates, highlights from pursuit of 40,000 points
(All times Eastern)
End of third quarter: Lakers 99, Wizards 95
12:16 a.m.: LeBron James checks in for the final 51 seconds of the third quarter. The Lakers have a five-point lead and will look to close this game out in order to overtake the Warriors for the West’s ninth seed.
Lakers 99, Wizards 94
12:06 a.m.: LeBron James checks out with 4:23 remaining in the third frame.
He’s added four points to his total tally to reach 19 points in 23 minutes on just 10 field goal attempts. LA leads by one point.
Lakers 86, Wizards 85
11:52 p.m.: It’s been a lot of offense and not much defense on both sides as the Lakers and Wizards have combined for 149 points early in the third quarter.
LeBron James gets his second half going with a finish around Kyle Kuzma in transition.
LeBron James (17 PTS) runs the floor and gets the acrobatic layup to fall!
23 points away from 40K career points 👑
Wizards-Lakers | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/pTut1xXJBI pic.twitter.com/4mTyYR3xz7— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2024
James has an efficient 17 points on nine shots.
Halftime: Lakers 70, Wizards 69
11:36 p.m.: The Lakers head into the half with a one-point lead thanks in large part to Anthony Davis, who has 24 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
LeBron James returned for the final few seconds of the half but did not add to his stats. He goes into the locker room with 15 points in 16 minutes.
11:26 p.m.: LeBron James checks back out with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter.
James has 15 points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of action. He could add to those totals if he gets one more burst of playing time before the halftime break.
Wizards 55, Lakers 49
11:21 p.m.: The Wizards are still in control but LeBron James is starting to heat up.
James has 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) in 14 minutes of action. He’ll step back to the free throw line for one more shot after a timeout. 5:59 remains in the first half.
Wizards 51, Lakers 45
11:17 p.m.: Out of the timeout, LeBron James drills a 3 over Marvin Bagley III to bring his total to 10 points in the game.
James is now 30 points away from 40,000.
11:14 p.m.: The Wizards’ lead has ballooned to eight points and Darvin Ham calls for a timeout.
After an inspired performance on Wednesday, LA has been flat to start tonight.
LeBron James has seven points, two rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes of action while D’Angelo Russell’s 11 points lead the way for the Lakers. Anthony Davis has 10 in the game.
Washington is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Jordan Poole leads all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Wizards 44, Lakers 36
11:09 p.m.: LeBron James is back in the game to open the second quarter and adds to his points tally with a driving layup. He’s got six points so far but the Lakers are trailing.
LA might need more heroics to pick up another win tonight.
End of first quarter: Wizards 34, Lakers 31
10:55 p.m.: LeBron James exits for his first break of the night.
James takes a breather after scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds in just under eight minutes of action.
Wizards 21, Lakers 19
10:48 p.m.: Make it two dunks for LeBron James early on. He’s missed both of his 3-point attempts but James has four points thanks to his slams.
Timeout on the floor. with 6:53 remaining in the first.
Wizards 16, Lakers 14
10:44 p.m.: 39 years old on a back-to-back? Doesn’t matter.
LeBron goes coast-to-coast for the slam 💪
38 Points away from 40K career points 👑
Wizards-Lakers | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/pTut1xXJBI pic.twitter.com/HNzIXM0Zkh— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2024
LeBron James gets on the board by going coast to coast for an above-the-rim finish, defying both logic and gravity.
Pregame
10:30 p.m.: It’s almost showtime and the starters are in.
Los Angeles will go with D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis.
The Wizards are starting Tyus Jones, Landry Shamet, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma and Marvin Bagley III.
10 p.m.: The ambidextrous LeBron James has been cleared to go on the second end of a back-to-back.
A couple lefty free throws and a dunk and LeBron James completes his pregame routine, cleared to play the second night of the back-to-back pic.twitter.com/4OFy7q25xH
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 1, 2024
What channel Is Lakers vs. Wizards on today?
- TV channel (Los Angeles): Spectrum SportsNet
- TV channel (Washington): Monumental Sports Network
- Live stream: NBA League Pass
Thursday night’s game between the Lakers and Wizards will air on regional sports networks in Southern California and the Washington, D.C. area. Fans elsewhere can stream the game with a subscription to NBA League Pass.
Lakers vs. Wizards start time
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 29
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT
The matchup between the Lakers and Wizards will tip off around 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time) from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
