LOS ANGELES—Rui Hachimura drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday as LeBron James’s incredible streak of double-digit scoring games ended.
With the NBA’s leading scorer Luka Doncic absent for personal reasons, Austin Reaves delivered a double-double of 44 points and 10 assists for the Lakers in a clash of East and West second-placed teams.
James scored eight points and handed out 11 assists, including the pass from the top of the key to Hachimura in the corner for the game-winner.
“That was crazy,” Japanese forward Hachimura said. “I never had a game-winner before.”
James saw his streak of 1,297 games with 10 or more points end — a run that began in January 2007.
But the league’s all-time leading scorer said he didn’t hesitate to dish to Hachimura on the final play, with his path to the basket blocked and Reaves also under pressure.
“Just playing the game the right way,” said the 40-year-old James, who is in his unprecedented 23rd season. “Always make the right play. That’s how I was taught the game.”
James last failed to score in double digits on January 5, 2007, but when asked his thoughts on the end of that remarkable run he said he had none, adding only: “We won.”
James struggled with his shot much of the night, connecting on just four of 17 and missing all five of his three-point attempts.
“LeBron is acutely aware of how many points he has at that point,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who added he wasn’t surprised to see James make “the right play.”
“He did it like he’s done so many times,” Redick said.
“The basketball gods, if you do it the right way, they tend to reward you,” Redick said.
Scottie Barnes scored 23 points and Brandon Ingram added 20 for the Raptors, who had seven players score in double figures but dropped to third in the East behind Detroit and New York.
The Lakers continue their road trip against the Celtics in Boston on Friday.
The Celtics rolled past the last-placed Wizards 146-101 in Washington to grab their eighth win in 10 games.
The Celtics were without ailing star Jaylen Brown. In his absence, Derrick White stepped up to score 30 points with seven rebounds, nine assists and a steal.
