Earvin Johnson became the NBA's all-time assist leader Monday night while Sacramento grabbed the title as "Farthest from the Kings of the Road."
Johnson, known as "Magic" since his high school days, surpassed Oscar Robertson as the top passer in NBA history with assist No. 9,888 in the Lakers' 112-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.The 6-foot-9 playmaker, appearing in his 871st game, got the record on a baseline pass to Terry Teagle, who hit a turnaround 15-foot jumper with 5:44 left in the second quarter. It was his ninth assist if the game.
Robertson played with the Cincinnati Royals from 1960-61 through 1969-70 and with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1970-71 through 1973-74. A Hall of Famer, he collected his 9,887 assists in 1,040 games for an average of 9.5 a game.
Johnson, 31, is averaging 11.4 assists a game over his career, an NBA record for players with at least 400 games. He is averaging 12.6 this year, second in the NBA to Utah's John Stockton. Johnson totaled 19 assists in the game and has 9,898 for his career now.
Monday's 112-94 loss by Sacramento to Minneapolis was the Kings' 35th consecutive on the road, placing it in the books as having the dubious longest losing record on the road. The Kings, 1-38 on the road this season, have not won away from home since Nov. 20, when they beat the Washington Bullets 87-82. Their streak began the following night in Philadelphia with a 101-99 loss.
Bulls 103, Bucks 94
At Chicago, Michael Jordan scored a season-high 46 points and sparked a decisive third-quarter run that lifted the Bulls to their franchise-record 58th win of the season. The Bulls' previous regular-season best record was a 57-25 mark in 1971-72. Frank Brickowski scored 22 points and Fred Roberts 19 for Milwaukee, which has lost eight straight at Chicago Stadium dating to 1988.
Timberwolves 112, Kings 94
At Minneapolis, the Sacramento Kings continued their woeful road performance by setting a record of futility - losing their 35th straight game on the road to break the record of 34 set by the New Jersey Nets. New Jersey lost its last 28 road games last season and first six this season.
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Assist leaders
Magic Johnson 9,898
Oscar Robertson 9,887
Isiah Thomas 7,401
Lenny Wilkens 7,211
Maurice Cheeks 7,085
Bob Cousy 6,955
Guy Rodgers 6,917
Nate Archibald 6,476
John Lucas 6,454
Norm Nixon 6,386
Jerry West 6,238
John Stockton 6,184