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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James enters Sunday evening's game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena needing 399 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and become the NBA's career scoring leader.
James has scored 37,989 points in 1,398 games over 20 seasons, including 24 in Thursday's 119-105 double-overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Abdul-Jabbar scored 38,387 points in 1,560 games over 20 seasons.
James is seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 29 points per game. If he maintains his average and does not miss a game, he would set the record Feb. 9 in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena.
James scored 23 points in the Lakers' 133-122 loss at Philadelphia on Dec. 9, the teams' only meeting of the season.
The Lakers (19-23) have lost back-to-back games following a season- high five-game winning streak. They are 13th in the 15-team Western Conference, one game behind the Phoenix Suns in the race for the conference's final spot in the play-in tournament.
Philadelphia (26-16) is fourth in the Eastern Conference and has won six of its last eight games.
James is listed as probable with left ankle soreness, the ailment that caused him to miss last Monday's game at Denver, the most recent of the season's 10 games he has missed.
Forward Anthony Davis (right foot stress injury), guards Patrick Beverley (non-COVID illness), Austin Reaves (left hamstring strain) and Lonnie Walker IV (left knee tendinitis) will all miss Sunday's game after missing Thursday's game, the team announced.
Philadelphia guard James Harden (left heel pain) and forward Tobias Harris (left knee soreness) are both listed as questionable. Harden scored a team-high 31 points in Saturday's 118-117 victory at Utah but Harris missed the game because of left knee soreness.