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LeBron James became the first player to score 39,000 points in the NBA as the LA Lakers beat the Utah Jazz in the in-season tournament.<\/p>\n
Needing five points, he scored 17 in a 131-99 victory in Los Angeles that secured a quarter-final place.<\/p>\n
James, 38, surpassed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\u2019s tally of 38,387 points in February to become the leading scorer of all time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI haven\u2019t really had chance to wrap my head around what it means,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been so many great players in this league since the beginning of time, and so many great scorers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to be the first of anything is always pretty cool. A wild moment, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player saluted the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena when his achievement was announced.<\/p>\n
James recorded nine assists and seven rebounds and team-mate Anthony Davis scored 26 points and made 16 rebounds.<\/p>\n
The Indiana Pacers reached the last eight with a 157-152 win at the Atlanta Hawks.<\/p>\n
Tyrese Haliburton, who said this week the tournament gave \u201cmore juice\u201d to early season games, scored 37 points as the Pacers overturned a 20-point first-half deficit.<\/p>\n
Darius Garland\u2019s 32 points led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 122-119 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers that kept their qualifying hopes alive.<\/p>\n
The quarter-finals take place on 4 and 5 December, with the semis on 7 December and the final on 9 December in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
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