James scored 38 points in the 127-119 loss, bringing his career total to 36,947.
Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more points in his career than the 37-year-old.
“At some point, I’ll be able to look back on this moment,” James said, “but right now, the feeling I have, I can’t separate it [from the loss].”
The Lakers haven’t won back-to-back games since they won four in a row from December 31 to January 7.
James scored six points in the first quarter before a dunk and three three-pointers tied him with Malone in points.
Later in the second quarter, he broke Malone’s record with a layup.
It wasn’t enough, however, to prevent the Wizards from rallying from a 16-point deficit to end a six-game losing streak.
When asked if he thought he could break Abdul-record, Jabbar’s James replied: “I’m not going to let myself think about it.
“I’ve always just gone out and played the game the right way, and these things have just happened organically by going out and playing the game the right way.
“I hope to achieve that at some point in my career, but I’m not going to dwell on it too much.”
NBA’s all-time leading scorers
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem
38,387
LeBron James* 36,947
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Jordan, Michael
32,292
Dirk Nowitzki 31,560
Chamberlain Wilt
31,419
Shaquille O’Neal 28,596
Carmelo Anthony* 28,218
Moses Malone 27,409
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 138-119, while the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 113-109.
In addition, the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 129-108.
Source: BBC
