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James understood his monumental streak of scoring in double figures was in danger. When it mattered most, though, it was not his focus.

The smart move involved passing the rock – and he executed. With that selfless act, the legendary streak finished.

LeBron's unprecedented streak of over 1,200 straight NBA regular season outings scoring at least ten ended on Thursday night, as the league's career points king finished with a mere eight points in the Lakers' close victory over Toronto. He provided the decisive pass, setting up Rui Hachimura to knock down a triple as time expired.

“Nothing,” James said when asked regarding the conclusion of his run. “We won.”

An Unselfish Decision Secures the Game

LeBron had the chance to attempted to win the contest – and preserved his record – with the last shot, instead, he decided to pass to Rui on the wing. Hachimura made the shot, prompting James raised his arms triumphantly.

It's about playing the game correctly. Always make the smart play,” James explained. That is how I operate. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”

“LeBron is very conscious exactly how many points he has during a game,” commented the team's head coach the coach. He acted like he’s done so many times.”

The Run's End Game

James re-entered the contest one last time with 5:23 remaining, the win along with the historic run on the line. His tally was a mere six points on 3 for 15 from the field by that point.

He got a bucket at under two minutes remaining to tie the game then missed a mid-range jumper at one minute to go that might have pushed him to ten points.

He passed up one more attempt – even though he had a chance. Austin Reaves gave James the ball in the waning seconds, however, James decided to make the pass instead.

“The basketball gods, if you do it correctly, they often bless you,” Redick added.

The History of a Staggering Record

The record began back in January 2007. It was, by far the greatest streak of its kind in professional basketball: MJ previously held a streak of 866 straight games with 10+ points, Kareem had 787, and Karl Malone was fourth on the list with 575.

LeBron is such a team-oriented player,” said teammate Jake LaRavia.

He focuses on playing the game of basketball. He could have shot but because of his nature as a player and his character as a person, he executed the pass, found Rui and claimed the victory.”

Scoring in double figures had typically been an afterthought well before the fourth quarter began. Over the course of the record, he had reached the 10-point mark by the beginning of the final quarter 1,266 times before this game.

However, two of those unusual games below ten points through three quarters took place in the last week: He had nine points entering the final quarter against Dallas on 28 November, then had six going into the fourth against Phoenix on Monday night.

James managed to preserve the record in the Phoenix game. The very next outing, it finished – and he celebrated regardless.

“I always just make the right play. That is instinctive, win, lose or draw,” James declared. If you make the right play, the basketball gods are always rewarding me.”