Updated Odds for When LeBron James Breaks NBA Scoring Record

James could pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a big Tuesday night, but the odds point to Thursday’s game as the record-breaker.

LeBron James is 36 points shy of becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points has stood for 38 years and now James is one, maybe two games away from breaking it after he added 27 points to the tally over the weekend in a loss to the Pelicans. As of Feb. 6, James stands in second place with 38,352 points to his name. He and Abdul-Jabbar are the only members of the exclusive 38,000-point club.

It was known that James was on track to surpass the Lakers legend at some point this season and that time is almost here. Betting odds are available for those interested in wagering on when history will be made.

The Lakers’ next game is Tuesday night at home against the Thunder, and it will be nationally broadcast on TNT. Los Angeles is on TNT again Thursday night when it hosts Milwaukee – where Abdul-Jabbar began his career before joining the Lakers. After a two-game homestand, L.A. hits the road this weekend starting with a stop in San Francisco to play the Warriors on Saturday.

Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

If you want to bet on when James becomes the all-time scoring leader, here’s the breakdown:

Feb. 7: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (+240)
This is the first meeting of the season between the Thunder and Lakers and it has playoff implications beyond the chase for the scoring record, with both teams outside of the play-in picture. There’s also history at play with Oklahoma City, the franchise that James beat for his first title 11 years ago when he was with the Heat. In 43 games played this season, James has surpassed the requisite 36 points nine times.

Feb. 9: vs. Milwaukee Bucks (-300)
If James scores 35 points or fewer versus OKC, he’ll be primed to set the record early on against the Bucks. With his season scoring average an even 30 points per game and his average over his last 10 games a slightly higher 31.1 points per game, that seems like a likely enough outcome, which is why the odds are so heavily tilted toward history happening Thursday. James scored 28 in a win over Milwaukee Dec. 2.

Feb. 11: at Golden State Warriors (+1400)
If it takes this long for James to break the record, it would likely mean he missed one of the next two games. He missed last Monday’s game against the Nets due to foot soreness, which postponed his projected record-setting game. Of course, if he does break the record at the Chase Center, there’s an historic angle at play with the Warriors, the team he faced in four straight Finals during his second stint with the Cavaliers.

Other Games:
Feb. 13: at Portland Trail Blazers (+20000)
Feb. 15: vs New Orleans Pelicans (+20000)
Feb. 23: vs. Golden State Warriors (+20000)
Feb. 26: at Dallas Mavericks (+20000)
Feb. 28: at Memphis Grizzlies (+20000)
Mar. 1: at Oklahoma City Thunder (+20000)
Any Other Game (+6000)

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