LOS ANGELES — This season obviously has not gone the way the Lakers wanted, and the latest evidence presented itself as another bad loss Saturday.

However, there is still one thing to behold, to file away in the back of the mind for future use, if not forever, for Lakers fans and NBA followers alike.

LeBron James continued to defy logic as a 37-year-old and took another step toward history in the Lakers’ 127-119 loss to the Washington Wizards.

James passed Karl Malone for second place on the all-time scoring list with a lay-up down the right side in the second quarter, a lasting achievement in his 19th season — with more to come next season?

He finished with 38 points against the Wizards and within striking distance of all-time scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

James has 36,947 points while Abdul-Jabbar has 38,387. 

Assuming good health, James is on pace to pass Abdul-Jabbar next season, possibly before the All-Star break, but that is a story for another day.

For now, James tied Malone with a 3-pointer a few minutes into the second quarter. Then he took a bounce pass from Stanley Johnson and scored the memorable lay-up with 5:20 left in the quarter.

The game stopped a few seconds later, and the crowd gave James a standing ovation during a brief acknowledgment of his milestone.

The Lakers led, 51-44.

“I’m just at a loss for words for it.” James said. “It’s an honor for myself, my hometown, my family, my friends. That’s exactly who I do it for.”

The fine print for the night would look familiar to Lakers fans. Almost forgotten among James’ effort was another loss, though Lakers Coach Frank Vogel tried to prioritize what happened.

“I think it’s important to separate it. It’s a moment in time where we can’t get caught up in the pain of [James’] feat,” Vogel said. “Just a signature performance in a game where he passes one of the greats.” 

The Lakers led by 14 late in the third quarter and ruined their chance at a second consecutive victory for a team that has not seen a lot of them lately.

In fact, the Lakers had not won back-to-back games since Jan. 7, an eternity for a team with such weighty expectations when the season began eons ago, a.k.a. last October.

“We didn’t play well when ’Bron was out of the game tonight,” Vogel said. “We were a little bit out of sync, out of rhythm tonight on both sides of the ball.”

Russell Westbrook had a well-balanced game, falling just short of a second consecutive triple-double — 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

His efforts were overshadowed by Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.

“Executing down the stretch hurt us in this game,” Westbrook said.

The Lakers (30-41) lead New Orleans by only half a game for ninth in the Western Conference. They fell to 1-2 on a four-game trip that concludes Monday in Cleveland.