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LeBron James was aware his historic streak of scoring in double figures was in danger. At the decisive instant, though, it didn't concern him.

The correct basketball play involved passing the rock – so he did. With that selfless act, the unprecedented record came to an end.

LeBron's unprecedented run of over 1,200 straight regular-season outings scoring at least ten concluded during a recent game, when basketball's greatest scorer was limited to eight total points during the Lakers' 123-120 triumph versus Toronto. He made the decisive pass, feeding teammate Rui Hachimura to knock down a triple at the buzzer.

“Zero,” James said when asked on the record concluding. “We won.”

A Team-First Choice Delivers the Win

LeBron had the chance to sought to clinch the game – and preserved his record – with the last shot, yet he opted to make the extra pass to his teammate in the left corner. Hachimura made the shot, prompting James celebrated triumphantly.

You have to play basketball correctly. Make the correct play,” James noted. “That’s just been my philosophy. That’s how I was instructed to play. I’ve done that my whole career.”

James is fully cognizant of how many points he's scored during a game,” stated the team's head coach the coach. He made the play just as he has throughout his career.”

The Streak's Final Moments

LeBron checked back into the floor one last time at just over five minutes left, the outcome and the streak both hanging in the balance. He had only six points from 3 for 15 from the field at that juncture.

He managed a basket with under two minutes remaining to knot the score then missed a 14-footer at 1:01 left that might have pushed him to double digits.

He didn’t take one more attempt – though the opportunity was there. A teammate gave James the ball in the waning seconds, yet LeBron opted to dish it off instead.

“The basketball gods, when you play it the right way, they often reward you,” Redick added.

The History of a Staggering Streak

The record commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It was, by far the greatest streak of its kind the league has ever seen: Michael Jordan had 866 consecutive games with 10+ points, Kareem recorded 787, and Karl Malone was fourth on the list of 575 games.

He is such an unselfish player,” noted Lakers center Jake LaRavia.

He simply plays the sport. He had the opportunity but due to who he is on the court and his character as a person, he made the team play, found Rui and we won the game.”

Reaching double digits had long been a formality well before the fourth quarter began. During James’s streak, he had achieved double figures entering the fourth 1,266 times before this game.

But two of those rare single-digit games through three quarters had occurred just days before: He had nine points entering the final quarter against Dallas on 28 November, and then had six going into the fourth versus the Suns earlier in the week.

James managed to preserve the record against the Suns. In the following contest, it concluded – yet he was celebrating all the same.

I only ever make the right play. That comes naturally, no matter what,” James affirmed. “You make the unselfish play, the game gods consistently returning the favor.”