Lakers vs. Pelicans Moved Earlier Saturday as LeBron James Pursues NBA Scoring Record | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

The Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday was pushed back two hours earlier to 6 p.m. ET and will now be nationally televised on ESPN2 as star Lakers forward LeBron James continues the NBA career-high points.

New Orleans Pelicans @PelicansNBA

The NBA announced today that the Pelicans’ home game against the @Lakers February 4, originally scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, will move to a CT start time at 5 p.m. & be televised nationally on ESPN2. The game will still be broadcast regionally on @BallySportsNO & Spectrum SportsNet

The 18-time All-Star and four-time NBA MVP is averaging 30.2 points per game. He needs 89 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time mark (38,387).

The Lakers’ next game is Thursday against the Indiana Pacers. They then travel to New Orleans on Saturday before returning home for a pair of matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and Thursday, February 9, respectively. The Bucks game is scheduled for national television on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET.

James would need to average at least 44.5 points over his next two games to break the record in the game against Pels. That’s not entirely out of the question, as James has scored 46 or more points on three occasions this year.

The more likely scenario, however, is for James to do so in both home games. If James maintains his current scoring pace, he will be successful against the Thunder. Failing that, the Bucks game looks like its last script unless it turns icy.

James has been scorching all season, however, as the 38-year-old tears up the NBA in his 20th campaign. He also just surpassed Steve Nash for fourth all-time on the assists list.

For now, James and the Lakers are looking to stay in the win column after an impressive 129-123 road win over the New York Knicks in overtime on Tuesday. Game time Thursday in Indiana will be 7 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.