Record-breaking LeBron James returns as LA Lakers down Utah Jazz

James began his 23rd NBA play successful Lakers’ location triumph arsenic Curry’s Warriors mislaid to Orlando Magic contempt his 34 points.

LeBron James has breached the grounds for astir NBA seasons aft appearing for the Los Angeles Lakers successful his 23rd play aft missing astir the archetypal afloat period of the run owed to sciatica.

The 40-year-old superstar, a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, missed the Lakers’ archetypal 14 games earlier taking the tribunal astatine location against Utah Jazz connected Tuesday.

The Lakers rallied for a 140-126 triumph implicit the visiting Jazz.

James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, practised with the Lakers connected Monday and had nary symptom oregon soreness aft his archetypal game-style workout with the nine since past season’s playoffs.

That acceptable the signifier for him to commencement against the Jazz, breaking a necktie with Vince Carter for the astir vocation seasons successful NBA history.

The location assemblage cheered arsenic James was introduced and moments later, James made past erstwhile the crippled tipped off.

👑 SEASON 23 FOR THE KING 👑 pic.twitter.com/SF09U3pZxe

— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025

Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons stretched their longest winning streak since 2008 to 11 games with a 120-112 triumph successful Atlanta, snapping the Hawks’ five-game winning streak.

The Pistons, who pb the Eastern Conference astatine 13-2, got 25 points and 10 assists from Cade Cunningham and 24 points with 8 rebounds from Jalen Duren.

Jalen Johnson sparked Atlanta (9-6) with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

At Brooklyn, Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and Payton Pritchard added 22 and 10 rebounds to spark the Boston Celtics successful a 113-99 triumph implicit the Nets.

Desmond Bane scored 23 points and reserve Anthony Black added 21 to pb the Orlando Magic implicit the visiting Golden State Warriors 121-113.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors (9-7) with 34 points portion Jimmy Butler added 33 successful a losing cause.

Stephen Curry’s 34 points were not capable to pb Golden State Warriors to a triumph implicit Orlando Magic successful Orlando [John Raoux/AP]

At San Antonio, De’Aaron Fox scored 20 of his 26 points successful the 2nd fractional and Harrison Barnes added 23 to spark the big Spurs implicit Memphis 111-101.

The Spurs (10-4) were without prima large antheral Victor Wembanyama owed to a near calf strain and defender Stephon Castle with a near hep flexor strain portion Memphis prima defender Ja Morant was sidelined by a close calf strain.

“We are trying to bash this arsenic a collective. There’s nary replacing Vic,” Barnes said. “We’re conscionable trying to find ways to win, stock the ball, determination the ball, that’s however we’ll bash that.”

Barnes scored the archetypal 7 points successful an 11-0 game-closing tally to unafraid the victory.

“Harrison Barnes carried america done this. That’s conscionable what a vet does,” Fox said. “It felt large winning the crippled with each the guys we person out.

“We person a squad and we cognize that erstwhile 1 feline goes down we person a fig of guys that tin measurement up. No 1 feline volition instrumentality up the slack for 1 being out.”