LeBron James’ 41st birthday ended in disappointment as the Los Angeles Lakers fell 128-106 to the Detroit Pistons.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 27 points as the Pistons stayed atop the Eastern Conference, improving to 25 wins from 33 games and avoiding a season-worst three-game losing streak.
Luka Dončić finished with 30 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, while NBA all-time leading scorer James added 17 points.
James became only the 12th player in NBA history to appear in a game aged 41 or older. He has now played 1,577 career games — second only to Robert Parish’s 1,611 — as he continues his record-setting 23rd NBA season.
The Lakers close out 2025 having lost four of their last five games and sit fifth in the Western Conference standings.
Elsewhere, rookie VJ Edgecombe hit the decisive basket with 1.7 seconds left in overtime to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 139-136 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 20-year-old scored 25 points, including the game-winning three-pointer.
Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid topped the scoring for Philadelphia with 34 points each as the 76ers snapped a three-game losing run.
Ja Morant responded with 40 points for Memphis, while rookie Cedric Coward posted a career-high 28, but the Grizzlies slipped to consecutive defeats.
There were also victories for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics.
The Clippers extended their winning streak to five games with a commanding 131-90 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Celtics overcame the Utah Jazz 129-119.