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LeBron James was aware his historic run of putting up 10+ points was in danger. In that crucial moment, however, it was not his focus.

The right decision was to pass the basketball – and he executed. Following that play, his remarkable run was over.

James's astounding run of 1,297 consecutive NBA regular season games with 10+ points was snapped on Thursday night, as basketball's greatest scorer was limited to a mere eight points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-120 win against the Toronto Raptors. He made the clutch helper, feeding teammate Rui Hachimura for a triple at the buzzer.

“Nothing,” James stated when asked on the record concluding. “We won.”

A Selfless Choice Secures the Game

He might have tried to secure the game – and preserved his record – in the closing seconds, but he chose to dish the ball to Hachimura in the left corner. Hachimura sank it, and James celebrated immediately.

You have to play the game correctly. Make the smart play,” James noted. That is how I operate. It's how I learned the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”

“LeBron is very conscious of how many points he's scored at any point,” said the team's head coach the coach. “He did it as he has done so many times.”

The Record's End Game

He returned to the contest for the final time with just over five minutes left, the result and his personal record on the line. He had only six points on 3-of-15 shooting then.

He managed a basket with under two minutes remaining to tie the game and missed a mid-range jumper at one minute to go which could have pushed him to double digits.

He didn’t take a subsequent shot – even though he had a chance. A teammate passed him the ball as time wound down, yet LeBron chose to make the extra pass instead.

The basketball deities, if you approach it the proper way, they tend to reward you,” Redick added.

A Look Back at a Staggering Run

The record commenced over eighteen years ago. It stood as the most extended such streak the league has ever seen: His Airness, Michael Jordan previously held a streak of 866 consecutive double-digit scoring games, Kareem recorded 787, and The Mailman had the fourth-longest run with 575.

LeBron is such a pass-first superstar,” noted teammate a fellow Laker.

“He’s just playing the sport. He had the opportunity but because of his nature as a player and his character off the court, he made the team play, found Rui and claimed the game.”

Reaching double digits had typically been a guarantee well before the start of fourth quarters. Over the course of the record, he had attained ten points by the beginning of the final quarter on the vast majority of occasions before this game.

However, two such single-digit games through three quarters had occurred just days before: He recorded nine entering the final quarter versus the Mavericks on 28 November, then had six before the fourth quarter versus the Suns earlier in the week.

He succeeded in extend the streak in the Phoenix game. In the following contest, it concluded – and he celebrated anyway.

My focus is to make the correct play. That comes naturally, regardless of outcome,” James affirmed. When you make the unselfish play, the sports deities forever rewarding me.”