Historic value

Nine points separate LeBron James from the 40,000 mark

Basketball superstar LeBron James is on the verge of his next historic milestone in the North American professional league NBA. The 39-year-old scored 31 points on Thursday (local time) in his Los Angeles Lakers' 134-131 home win after overtime against the league's bottom club, the Washington Wizards. He is now just nine points short of becoming the first player to break the 40,000-point barrier. 

The mark could fall on Saturday against the defending champions Denver Nuggets.

The top scorer for the Californians against the Wizards was Anthony Davis with 40 points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks ended a weak February with a 99:110 home defeat against the Golden State Warriors. The outstanding man on the floor with 31 points and eleven rebounds was superstar Stephen Curry. The Knicks, the number four in the East, have only won four of their last twelve games.