James scores 39 points in Miami NBA win

18 Jan 2013, 8:30 pm   -   Source: AAP
LeBron James has scored 39 points to lead Miami Heat to a 99-90 win over the LA Lakers. (AAP)

LeBron James has scored 39 points to lead Miami Heat to a 99-90 win over the LA Lakers. (AAP)

A day after reaching the 20,000-point mark in his NBA career, LeBron James has scored 39 more to lead Miami to a 99-90 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles.

LeBron James showed he had no intention of slowing down after reaching the 20,000-point milestone, scoring 39 points on Thursday to lead NBA champions Miami to a 99-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The victory came one day after James scored 25 points in a win over Golden State in Oakland, California, becoming the youngest player in NBA history, at 28, to record 20,000 career points. He also reached 5000 career assists.

Dwyane Wade, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday and learned that, like James, he'd been elected an Eastern Conference starter to the All-Star game, added 27 points, five assists and four rebounds for Miami.

Kobe Bryant, who led all All-Star vote-getters in earning a 15th straight starting spot in the mid-season exhibition, paced the Lakers with 22 points.

But he connected on just 8-of-25 from the field, missing 14 of his first 17 shots, as the Heat defence stifled Los Angeles and forced 20 Lakers turnovers.

Metta World Peace followed with 16 points and Dwight Howard contributed a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds. But Los Angeles couldn't stretch their two-game winning streak.

There was some good news for the lacklustre Lakers, who had Pau Gasol return from a five-game absence because of a concussion to score 12 points with four rebounds and four assists off the bench.

It was better news for the Los Angeles Clippers who improved to 3-0 on their current trip without All-Star injured guard Chris Paul, handing the Minnesota Timberwolves their fifth-straight loss 90-77.

The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a 24-game drought in Phoenix since February, 1987, beating the struggling Suns 98-94.

Across the Atlantic, Carmelo Anthony returned to the site of his Olympic triumph and scored 26 points to lead New York 102-87 over Detroit in London's 02 Arena.

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