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 | — | — | — | — |
| Wizards | 34 | — | — | — | — |
LeBron James stats vs. Wizards
7 points (3/5 FG, 0/2 3P, 1/2 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 10 minutes
LeBron James live stats, updates, highlights from pursuit of 40,000 points
(All times Eastern)
Second quarter
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.
