The Lakers’ victory moved them to 24-23 and seventh in the Western Conference……

LeBron James and Stephen Curry add to their storied rivalry in a two-overtime matchup.

San Francisco — It took a statistical feat that LeBron James had never achieved in 1,463 career regular-season games, an extra 10 minutes of play, and two swished free throws with 1.2 seconds left for the Los Angeles Lakers star to defeat his longtime rival, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

On Saturday, the Lakers prevailed 145-144 in double overtime, with James scoring 36 points, a career-high 20 rebounds, and 12 assists, edging Curry’s game-high 46 points — including 15 in overtime — in an instant classic between two Hall of Famers.

“It’s something I’ll be able to talk about with my grandkids,” James said of his game against Curry. “When you talk about me being able to compete versus one of the greatest players to ever play the game.”

The game was planned as part of the NBA’s Rivals Week, and it did not disappoint.

“It’s been a treat to go against one of the greatest to ever play this game,” he remarked. “For us to continue to push each other at the state of our careers, you don’t take it for granted because you don’t know how many times you’re actually going to get the moment to actually be on the same floor with such a talent.”

While James’ Lakers won the championship in 2020 for his fourth ring and Curry’s Warriors won it all two years later for his fourth, both players’ clubs have had difficult times.

The Lakers’ victory moved them to 24-23 and seventh in the Western Conference. The Warriors’ record plummeted to 19-24, placing them 12th in the West.

For a night, however, the team records did not accurately represent the competition on the court.

“Every year that we get to do this and go back and forth, the battles — the Finals runs, the playoff battles last year — after the horn sounded tonight there was a little laugh of, I can’t imagine a scenario where a game like tonight happens, [with] him in Season 21 and me in Year 15,” Curry went on to say. “You look forward to the conflicts, but you also value the mutual understanding of what it takes to continue doing what you’re doing at this level. Only a few people understand how difficult it is. I’m glad to be part of that group.”

James’ clutch free shots were required due to Curry’s brilliant performance down the stretch. He made a layup over Anthony Davis with 5.9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, then in overtime, he sank a three with 53.4 seconds left to trim L.A.’s advantage from four to one, setting up Klay Thompson to level the score a few possessions later to extend the action. In the second overtime, Curry made a three from the top of the key, his ninth of the night, to put the Warriors ahead by one with 5.9 seconds to go.

That’s when James, who missed a potential game-winning fadeaway shot from midrange at the conclusion of the first overtime, drove on Draymond Green and was fouled, setting up the final free throws.

“I was able to get a little bit of an angle on the second OT and I was able to drive, taking a Eurostep kind of back to the right hand, and I was able to get a foul called on Draymond and stepped up and made the free throws,” he added.

The victory kicked off a critical six-game road trip for Los Angeles, which is attempting to recover from a monthlong slump that followed their mid-season tournament title victory in Las Vegas.

The Lakers will face the Houston Rockets on Monday, hoping that Davis, who had to leave the game due to hip spasms, can participate.

However, the night allowed James and Curry to reflect on the past rather than the future, as they added another chapter to their interlaced tale.

“I applaud LeBron for what he’s accomplishing at his age. I mean, the man is a freak of nature for being able to play at this level for so long. “Same with Steph,” Thompson added. “When you’re younger, you never imagine basketball would end because it’s what you like. This is all you do. However, as you reach your 30s, you understand there is a limit to your athletic career. Knowing that, I am grateful to be on the court with those players and playing against LeBron.”