The Los Angeles Lakers grinded out a hard-fought 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night that ended with Rui Hachimura knocking down a buzzer-beater game-winning three. The pass came from none other than LeBron James, who sacrificed a legendary scoring streak in order to help the Lakers walk away with victory.
While James nabbed his 11th assist of the night after Hachimura sank his clutch three, he failed to score at least 10 points for the first time since 2007, snapping a mind-boggling streak of 1,297 games in which he had hit that mark. After the win, James broke his silence on the end of the streak, with his comments sure to catch fans’ attention.
LeBron James Keeps it Real When Discussing His 10-Point Scoring Streak
The 2025-26 campaign has gotten off to a bit of an interesting start. While the Lakers are 16-5, which is good for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, James has only played in six games. Furthermore, when he’s been on the court, James has been ceding the majority of the team’s offensive responsibilities to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Through his first six games, James is averaging just 14 points per game while hitting 41.3% of his shots from the field. He’s still getting up to speed after missing the beginning of the season, but James simply has not looked like his typical dominant self to start the year. Maybe that’s to be expected since he’s turning 41 years old in a couple of weeks.
Los Angeles’ win over Toronto followed a similar script, as it was Reaves, who scored 40 points, carrying the load instead of James. The superstar forward hit just four of his 17 shots for eight points, but he still managed to make an impact with his playmaking abilities. After the game, James revealed that if his streak was going to come to an end, he was glad it happened when it did on Thursday night.
“This is the best way. If it had to end, the perfect ending for the streak is tonight,” James told Dan Woike of The Athletic. “It’s literally who I am. That’s who I am … It’s always been about: ‘How can I win the game? How can I make the right play and win the game?’ That streak just happened.”
LeBron James Settling into New Role with Lakers
GettyLeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a whistle during second half action against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 4, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
It’s odd to see James taking a backseat to his teammates, but that’s simply what is working for Los Angeles right now. Doncic has always been a superstar scorer, and that has continued this season, as he’s averaging 35.3 points per game. The more surprising development has been the play of Reaves, as he’s averaging 28.9 points per game, and he has shown no signs of slowing down, even with the return of James.
As a result, it’s reasonable to suggest that James is the No. 3 option on offense for Los Angeles right now. That could change as he gets more comfortable on the court again, but it seems like the Lakers’ offense is running through Doncic and Reaves for the time being. L.A. will look to continue its winning ways on Friday night, as a matchup with its longtime rival, the Boston Celtics, awaits them.
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