LeBron James passes Patrick Ewing for 20th on NBA's all-time scoring list

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been climbing the NBA’s all-time scoring list all season. Thursday night, he moved into the top 20.

LeBron James has been climbing the NBA’s all-time scoring list all season. Thursday night, he moved into the top 20. 

With a basket with seven minutes left in the first quarter against the Miami Heat, James scored his 24,816th career point, passing Patrick Ewing for 20th all-time. 

• MORE NBA: Playoff matchups | The Craft | Power Rankings | Mailbag

James finished the game with 23 points in a 114-88 Cavaliers' win. Cleveland moves to 49-27 on the year, while Miami drops to 34-41

[daily_cut.NBA] Next up on the points list is Jerry West, who scored 25,192 points over his 14-year career. James isn’t on pace to reach that mark this season, given his 25.7 points per game mark this year, but he should pass it early next season. 

James is the sixth-highest scoring active player, behind Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Tim Duncan. 

He began the year at 28th on the league’s all-time scoring list, and has passed Adrian Dantley, Robert Parrish, Vince Carter, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen this season. James's former teammate Dwyane Wade left in the second quarter after suffering a left knee bruise. He did not return.

• MORE NBA: Lee Jenkins profiles Westbrook | Fundamentals | Trends