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LeBron James’ ultimate sacrifice leads to Rui Hachimura game-winner
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- LeBron James’ ultimate sacrifice leads to Rui Hachimura game-winner
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The post LeBron James' ultimate sacrifice leads to Rui Hachimura game-winner appeared first on ClutchPoints .
LeBron James just let his most unbreakable record die so the Los Angeles Lakers could live. With the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors tied in the final seconds in Toronto, James brought the ball up with eight points on a brutal 4-of-16 shooting night.
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One more bucket would have kept his historic streak of double-digit scoring games alive. Instead, he drove, drew the defense, and kicked the ball to Rui Hachimura on the wing, who buried a three at the buzzer to seal a 123-120 win.
That pass ended James' streak at 1,297 straight regular-season games with at least 10 points, a run that started in 2007 and may never be touched. For the first time in 18 years, James finished a game in single digits , eight points, six rebounds, and 11 assists in 35 minutes, per ESPN's box score and multiple reports.
On a night when his shot abandoned him , the rest of the Lakers had his back. Austin Reaves went nuclear, dropping 44 points and 10 assists on 13-of-21 shooting, while DeAndre Ayton added 17 points and eight rebounds as Los Angeles moved to 16-5 on the season.
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It fits the story. For two decades, James has been defined as much by his passing brain as his scoring records. On this night, those two finally collided. He could have forced a pull-up to chase 10 points, and no one would have blamed him. Instead, he trusted Rui Hachimura , lost the streak, and won the game.
If this is how the greatest scoring consistency record ever ends, on a kickout for a game-winning three, it is hard to imagine a more LeBron way for it to go.
Related: Lakeres' LeBron James has consolation feat despite ending double-digit scoring streak
Related: LeBron James had no doubts about giving up 10-point streak for Lakers victory
