NBA teams
Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

LeBron James passes Kareem, behind MJ in double-digit scoring streak

NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James still has a ways to go to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring mark, but on Tuesday, the King managed to one-up the Captain in one measure of point production.

James scored his 10th point of the night on a fast-break layup to tie the Cleveland Cavaliers 49-all with the Orlando Magic in the second quarter. That made it James' 788th straight game in which he scored in double digits, moving him past Abdul-Jabbar (787) for the second-longest streak of that kind in league history.

Michael Jordan is first with 866.

James finished with 18 points in the Cavaliers' 122-102 win.

The last time James didn't score at least 10 points was Jan. 5, 2007, against the Milwaukee Bucks, when he had eight points.

James is seventh on the all-time scoring list with 28,692 points. Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) is first. Jordan (32,292) is fourth.

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, who was teammates with Jordan, was less than impressed by James' mark of consistency.

"They should be able to score 10 points," Lue said before Tuesday's game. "I averaged 10 points for four years. They ought to be able to score 10 points. I mean, the best player in the world, he better be able to score 10 points."

Lue averaged 8.5 points per game for his career, topping the 10-point plateau in four of his 11 seasons.

Just how easy is scoring 10 points for James in Lue's estimation?

"I mean, 10 points? That's one bucket a quarter and then one free throw a half," Lue said. "I mean, come on, man, if you can't do that then we shouldn't be sitting here talking. That's it. What we talking about? Ten points?"

When a reporter suggested that James' streak has been in jeopardy of ending several times in the past three seasons since he returned to Cleveland, Lue scoffed at the notion and suggested 10 points is automatic for someone like James.

"Come on," Lue told the reporter. "Ten points? You might get eight. Especially against us, you might be able to get eight."

For the record, Lue's longest streak of scoring 10 points or more was 12 games in the 2006-07 season when he played for the Atlanta Hawks.

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