Nikola Jokic applauds Mike James ahead of record-breaking night in EuroLeague / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Jokic hails Monaco's Mike James as 'ruthless scorer' in EuroLeague. James needs just 12 points to surpass Vassilis Spanoulis for the EuroLeague's all-time scoring record.

Credit: Begum Unal, Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Begum Unal, Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

AS Monaco star guard Mike James is earning praise from NBA elites, with reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic acknowledging him as a "ruthless scorer."

Free throws this season

76%15,4Points made:15,4Accuracy:75,9%Place in standings:29Record max:27Record min:3Most made FTs:Nikola JokicTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

James is on the verge of making history, needing just 12 points to surpass Vassilis Spanoulis, the current EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer with 4455 points.

Currently holding the second position with 4444 points, James is leading the EuroLeague in scoring this season.

"It's definitely hard [to break that record], Spanoulis is a legend over there. Monaco was in Final Four last year, and Mike's leading that team really good. He's a ruthless scorer," Jokic said of the EuroLeague star on Saturday, via Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures.

The American guard has been averaging 19.3 points with a shooting accuracy of 49.8% in 2-pointers and 41.5% in 3-pointers.

The record-breaking moment could happen on Thursday, March 7, when Monaco hosts Crvena Zvezda Belgrade at home. BasketNews previously reported that the EuroLeague is preparing a special protocol for Mike James' record night.

While the EuroLeague anticipates witnessing history, the NBA already celebrated a monumental moment on Saturday night. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James became the first NBA player ever to achieve 40,000 career points.

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