LeBron James battles Magic Johnson for NBA history - here's how he did it

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies for the second time in two days in a 120-114 victory where he played with the Hall of Fame guard Magic JohnsonImpressive assist to turnover ratio. It’s impressive to see James is playing at a high level with 41. He finished with 26 points, 10 assists and only one turnover. Sunday’s win marked the 45th regular season game in which LeBron finished with 10+ assists and one turnover.

After the win, James talked about how his meticulous offensive approach as a first-goal playmaker taught him the importance of his offensive efficiencywhich includes limiting the number of rotations, he said, according to The Athletic’s Lav Murray.

“I understand how precious the ball is, especially when your usage rate is a little bit lower, you can’t afford to turn the ball over too much if you barely have the ball in your hands,” James said. “So I just have to get the most out of it, put guys in the right spots, make sure the ball is on target. I don’t like to turn the ball over. Obviously, I’ve had my fair share in my career. But that comes with the territory when you have the ball in your hands.”

“That’s the first thing I look at — my turnovers — personally, when I get on the bench, when I look at the stats. If it’s high, it’s bullshit. Ball protection, as you understand, is really good for our football club,” James concluded.

LeBron James now has as many games (regular season) with 10+ assists and no more than one turnover as Magic Johnson (48) Tonight James led Los Angeles with 10 assists and only one turnover (KCP steal and score) Asked LeBron about avoiding mistakes in the game
— Lav Murrai 📘 (@lavmurraithenu.bski.social) 2026-01-05T06:52:17.477Z

Luka Doncic finished with 36 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including four three-pointers, nine rebounds, eight assists and one block. Jake Laravia added 26 points, five rebounds and four assists.

James, who did his best Magic Johnson impression for the Lakers, didn’t go unnoticed, as tying the Hall of Fame guard’s regular-season record is a fitting salute to one of Los Angeles’ all-time greats.

LeBron James on the “180-change” of the Lakers lately

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) walk to the bench during a second half timeout at Cripto.com Arena — Jaine Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After head coach JJ Redick called his team’s effort, Lakers’ LeBron James reflected on the change he’s seen in a team approach. After a pair of wins against the Grizzlies, James turned to the Lakers lack of execution on eight plays drawn during a timeout, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“It’s unacceptable,” James said of the eight missed ATOs on Friday. “Guys hear it, take full responsibility … and then make that 180 change.

The Lakers dropped eight ATOs on Friday, according to JJ Redick.
“It’s unacceptable,” LeBron James said.
On Sunday, after the team was called Saturday, Redick said they only messed up one.
“Guys hear that, take full responsibility … and then make that 180 change,” James said pic.twitter.com/CplP5AAbe7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 5, 2026