LeBron James set a new NBA mark by appearing in his 1,612th regular-season game as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 105-104 comeback over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. LeBron finished the night with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, the 41-year-old eclipsing the long-standing record held by Robert Parish for nearly three decades. He commemorated the milestone with special shoes stitched with “1,612.”
The game’s decisive sequence came in the final seconds when Paolo Banchero swatted a shot by James out of bounds with 4.7 seconds to play, but a replay review showed the ball did not deflect off LeBron’s foot and Los Angeles retained possession. That possession led to a Marcus Smart feed to Luke Kennard, who buried a three with 0.6 seconds remaining to preserve the Lakers’ win.
Also mentioned in the game recap was Luka Dončić, who scored 33 points in the Lakers’ ninth straight victory, though he was assessed his 16th technical foul — a penalty that carries an automatic one-game suspension unless the league rescinds it.
Lakers coach JJ Redick lauded LeBron’s durability and preparation, saying, “He’s had an awesome season. He’s had an awesome career. There’s just a deep-seated love for the game of basketball. And to do it as long as he has, you not only need to have the love, but you need the love for the commitment to prepare your body and to prepare mind and to get your rest. He loves the process, he really does. He loves his process, he loves his routine, he loves the feeling of being diligent.”
In Houston, Kevin Durant scored 27 points and moved past Michael Jordan into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list as the Rockets edged the Miami Heat 123-122 on a buzzer beater. Amen Thompson’s tip-in as time expired sealed the victory after Durant’s potential game-winner caromed off the rim.
Durant, 37, now has 32,294 career points — two more than Jordan — and briefly celebrated after sinking a three that pushed him past Jordan while the Rockets held a lead. “I got more to go, baby. But it is pretty sweet,” Durant said. “To be in the same category with the greats — a lot of these guys have inspired me to come out here and work on my game as much as I can and contribute to a team in a positive way. MJ is in the world of his own. He’s in the planet, the galaxy of his own as somebody that I look up to respect and who basically shaped the game for me.”
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 32 points and tied a career high with 21 rebounds. Miami briefly took a 122-121 lead with 5.4 seconds remaining but could not hold on, dropping its fourth straight. Adebayo’s strong rebound performance follows his historic 83-point outing against the Washington Wizards on March 10, the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history.