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LeBron James was aware his historic run of scoring in double figures was threatened. At the decisive instant, though, it was not his focus.

The smart move involved passing the rock – which is exactly what he did. With that selfless act, the unprecedented record came to an end.

LeBron's staggering run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with 10+ points was snapped on Thursday night, when basketball's greatest scorer was limited to eight total points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-120 victory over Toronto. He made the decisive pass, finding teammate Rui Hachimura for a three-point shot at the buzzer.

“None,” James replied in response about the streak ending. “We won.”

An Unselfish Choice Secures Victory

LeBron had the chance to sought to clinch the game – and preserved his record – in the closing seconds, yet he opted to make the extra pass to Hachimura in the left corner. Hachimura sank it, prompting James celebrated immediately.

You have to play the game correctly. Always make the correct play,” James noted. That is how I operate. That’s how I learned the game. That's what I've done for two decades.”

He is fully cognizant of how many points he's scored during a game,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. He acted just as he has throughout his career.”

The Streak's End Game

James re-entered the game one last time at under five and a half minutes to go, the outcome and his personal record up for grabs. At that stage, he had six points on 3-of-15 shooting at that juncture.

He managed a basket at 1:46 left to level the contest then missed a mid-range jumper at 1:01 left that might have pushed him into double figures.

He passed up one more attempt – but could have. A teammate found him with a few seconds left, however, James decided to dish it off instead of shooting.

The basketball deities, if you approach it the proper way, they often bless you,” Redick added.

A Look Back at a Monumental Record

This incredible run began over eighteen years ago. It was, by far the most extended double-digit streak in professional basketball: MJ had 866 straight games with 10+ points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 787 such games, and Karl Malone was fourth on the list with 575.

LeBron is such a pass-first superstar,” said teammate a fellow Laker.

He simply plays the sport. The chance was there but due to the player he is and his character as an individual, he made the pass, dished to Hachimura and secured the game.”

Reaching double digits had long been a guarantee well before the start of fourth quarters. Throughout his run, he had achieved ten points by the start of the fourth over twelve hundred times coming into the contest.

Yet two of those unusual games below ten points after three periods had occurred just days before: He recorded nine going into the fourth against Dallas on 28 November, followed by six points before the fourth quarter versus the Suns earlier in the week.

James managed to preserve the record against the Suns. The very next outing, it finished – yet he was celebrating regardless.

“I always just make the right play. That’s automatic, no matter what,” James said. When you make the smart play, the game gods forever returning the favor.”