Before the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards match tipped off on Saturday, LeBron James had a touching moment with a young fan on the court.
The child was seen wearing James’ jersey from “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and expressed excitement after the Lakers star acknowledged him.
LeBron showing love to this young fan ❤️
(via marcusbarnett7/IG) pic.twitter.com/BidRxbIian
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 20, 2022
Fans were excited to watch the contest for many reasons. For one, James was only 19 points behind Karl Malone for the second spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list prior to the game. The 37-year-old passed the Hall of Famer in the second quarter.
While James was probably ecstatic to hit the milestone, it likely would have been better for him and the team if they got away with the win. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost 127-119 after a fourth-quarter collapse.
Entering the final quarter, L.A. was leading by six points. Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis played impressively in the fourth, scoring 16 of his 27 points in the period. The Lakers’ small-ball strategy had no answer for Porzingis’ late-game explosion.
James ended the game with 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He had some help offensively in the game. Former Wizards star Russell Westbrook chipped in 22 points, 10 boards and eight dimes.
However, the Lakers’ defense allowed the Wizards to score nearly 20 points more than their season average.
With the loss, L.A.’s record dropped to 30-41. The Lakers are now just a half game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers will next face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday in what will be the last game of a four-game road trip.
