LEBRON James has come one step closer to adding another entry to his long list of accolades, closing in on Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s record of the most 30-point games.

James scored 33 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-118 loss to the Boston Celtics, leapfrogging NBA great Wilt Chamberlain into second on the all-time list with 516 30-point games.

LeBron James has the second-most number of 30-point games in his career, recording his 516th in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday


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LeBron James has the second-most number of 30-point games in his career, recording his 516th in a loss to the Boston Celtics on TuesdayCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Known for exceptional passing abilities rather than scoring for the majority of his career, James, 37, needed to make 1,386 appearances to move past Chamberlain.

And he now trails Jordan, 59, by 46 such games with the Bulls icon setting the record at 562 30-pieces – in 1,072 appearances – before retiring for the second and final time in 2003.

The Lakers All-Star will likely need to wait at least until the next season to become the all-time leader.

He’s registered 40 or more 30-point games in a single season only once in his career, during his third year with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2005-06.

Still, the four-time NBA champion keeps adding to his already unbelievable resume.

Only last week, James passed Lakers great Magic Jordan for sixth place on the all-time assists list.

And he is less than 800 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s elusive scoring record, which the legendary center has kept for almost 40 years.

James nearly ended the Tuesday loss to Boston with a triple-double, logging nine rebounds and nine assists in addition to his 33 points on 14-for-25 (56%) from the field.

But his efficient performance didn’t save Los Angeles from a painful home defeat at the hands of their archenemies.

After overcoming a 20-point deficit themselves, the Lakers let the Celtics end the fourth quarter on a 17-4 run and take the matchup to overtime.

And the exhausted hosts collapsed over the additional five minutes of the game with James and Anthony Davis, 29, each clocking 43 minutes or more during the clash.

The Lakers are now 12th in the Western Conference with an 11-16 record.

They fell 2.5 games behind the last place guaranteeing a spot in the play-in tournament.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan set the record of 562 30-games in 2003
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Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan set the record of 562 30-games in 2003Credit: EPA