LeBron James came within 36 points of breaking the NBA record, but the Los Angeles Lakers fell 131-126 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, snapping a 10-game losing streak.
James had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists to continue to move closer to the 38,387 points of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in league history.
Brandon Ingram had 35 points for the Pelicans.
CJ McCollum had 23 points, capped by three from a long shot late in the game. In the final 3:14 of the game, New Orleans rode a 9-5 run that held off the Lakers.
Anthony Davis had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who led by 12 after James’ layup made it 84-72 in the third quarter.
The Pelicans closed the period with five points in quick succession, including a floater by McCollum in transition and a 3-pointer by José Alvarado, who had caught a deflected snap.
That sequence cut the Lakers’ lead to 106-103, and New Orleans took the lead when Trey Murphy hit back-to-back 3-pointers, his second from 27 feet, to make it 114-108.
The game stayed close after that, but the Pelicans didn’t let Los Angeles regain the lead.
Murphy finished with 21 points and Alvarado with 18.