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Lakers newsletter: How a free throw turned LeBron James' night around and led to a win

Lakers newsletter: How a free throw turned LeBron James' night around and led to a win

INDIANAPOLIS — Hey everyone, I'm Dan Woike and welcome to The Times' Lakers Newsletter, where we check in every week on a team that's had such a strange season, it retired an entire set of uniforms because it thought they were bad luck.
True story!
Anyways, LeBron James capped an eventful trip to Indiana with a buzzer-beater against the Pacers.
Wednesday in Indiana, for the Lakers to win, they had to get lucky. It's the part of basketball that no one wants to put much weight behind because it's the part of basketball that you have the least control over.
You can evoke the 'basketball gods' like JJ Redick has and you can slam the scorer's table and stomp your feet when teams do things to tempt them. But ultimately, basketball agnosticism is the safer bet. Any invisible hand that impacts the game is created by smaller decisions along the way that mysteriously, or in this case not so mysteriously, play a role in the outcome.
Against the Pacers, James did everything to get those basketball gods on his side — talking on defense, cleaning up possessions on the glass, finding the open man and never pressing after his shots didn't fall.
For the first time in his career, James played the first three quarters of a game without making a field goal, all six of his attempts coming up empty.
He went on to make huge shots in the fourth quarter, including the biggest, a last-second, buzzer-beating tip-in to give his team the win after he built the lead early in the fourth by scoring eight straight points.
But did the basketball gods turn to his favor because of his defensive effort and playmaking for others? Or was there another factor at play?
With 3:38 left in the third quarter, James pounded the ball and forced Indiana into a three-second violation. Luka Doncic walked toward the line, almost like he was going to take the free throw, but told James, who was 0 for 6 from the field, to shoot it instead.
He swished it, got into rhythm to start the fourth quarter and when the game needed it, put himself in position to make the big play.
After the game, James acknowledged to The Times that the free throw was an important moment, a chance for him to see the ball go in the basket for the first time in the second half and just the third time all game (he made two free throws in the second quarter).
That wasn't luck — that was thoughtfulness and understanding of what the moment required.
Luck was that when the Pacer whistled for the three-second violation, Aaron Nesmith, tried to step out of the paint to reset the count, he misjudged it and kept his foot in the lane.
Luck was the Pacers having two three-point shots overturned after it was pretty obvious they were taken with a foot on the line.
Luke was Doncic's floater trickling off the rim and into James' fingertips with two-tenths of a second left, just enough for him to tip the ball into the basket.
None of this is to say that the Lakers didn't deserve their win; they absolutely did. They played with more purpose, more consistency and created all kinds of great opportunities. It's probably bad luck that Austin Reaves missed a pair of really open fourth-quarter threes.
But it's undoubtedly good luck that the Lakers caught these breaks and made these plays, the team badly needing some good news as it enters the final 10 games of the regular season Thursday in Chicago.
It was good for the Lakers to be reminded that they can do enough to pick up a big win on the road, that they could create enough advantages to embrace the randomness that basketball produces.
Friko – Where We've Been (FRET12 Session)
Have I used this song already? Maybe, but definitely not this performance by one of the most exciting bands from Chicago in a minute. This is like a group of kids found a stack of Radiohead CDs. There are better songs about Chicago, and whenever I go back there near my hometown, I'll always listen to them. But this song FROM Chicago will be on my phone Thursday as I'm in the city, no question.
Lakers can't find a way to talk through their defensive issues in loss to Magic
Lakers' Bronny James scores career-high 39 points in G League game: 'I belong out there'
LeBron James returns from injury, but Lakers look lost in blowout loss to Bulls
Stephen A. Smith: 'I might have been wrong' about Bronny James' NBA readiness
Bronny James credits focus on his game for career-best 17 points during loss to Bucks
Luka Doncic's hot first quarter sparks Lakers to win over shorthanded Nuggets

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2025 NBA Finals: Series Back In Focus For Thunder Entering Pair Of Games In Indiana
2025 NBA Finals: Series Back In Focus For Thunder Entering Pair Of Games In Indiana

Forbes

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  • Forbes

2025 NBA Finals: Series Back In Focus For Thunder Entering Pair Of Games In Indiana

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 08: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is ... More defended by Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter in Game Two of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 08, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The NBA Finals have shifted to Indianapolis, as the Pacers are set to host the next two games. On Wednesday night, a tied series will be broken, and either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers will take a commanding 2-1 lead. Game 2 was a pivotal contest in its own right, as the Thunder faced a potential 0-2 hole if that game didn't fall in OKC's favor. But Oklahoma City put together a dominant performance that had the home crowd roaring the entire game, as the Thunder ultimately controlled the majority of the contest. Although the Thunder lost Game 1 on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater, it was a game that OKC controlled for the vast majority of the minutes, but it all slipped away late and was capped off by a Tyrese Haliburton buzzer-beater. There weren't many major adjustments that Oklahoma City needed to make in Game 2, given the overall success of Game 1, but tweaks needed to be made in order to ensure a victory. That's exactly what happened, as the Thunder's overall game plan and strategy resulted in a dominant Game 2 victory. 'I just thought in a lot of areas it would be easy to just say that one thing looked better tonight. But that would be oversimplifying,' said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. 'I think we were just a little bit better in a lot of different areas of execution, of pace to your point, organization, decision making in the paint, aggressiveness at the basket, gathering the ball. We just were a tick forward in all those areas.' In both of the NBA Finals games thus far, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has by far the best player in the series. His 72 points through the first two games are the most for any player in an NBA Finals debut ever. But to him, winning is all that matters. Despite all the hype that has been surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA Finals, it doesn't matter unless Oklahoma City wins. 'I would trade the points for two Ws, for sure,' said Gilgeous-Alexander after Game 2. 'But this is where our feet are. This is where we are. You can't go back in the past, you can only make the future better. That's what I'm focused on.' Leading the way for Indiana is Haliburton, who has largely struggled outside of his game-winner in the opening contest. Before that shot, he only had 12 points on 12 shots and had turned the ball over three times. In Game 2, he notched 17 points, but 12 of those came late after the game was already out of hand. He also had five turnovers in that second game. But even then, he's been very impactful overall and likely will turn things around at home in Game 3 and Game 4. 'He's a good player. He's going to affect the game, even if he has an off night,' said Jalen Williams on Sunday night. 'Him being on the floor, he's going to have some type of impact on the game. A lot of it is trying to make it really hard for him to get to spots, understanding what he likes to see, try to turn that off.' Outside of the head-to-head battle of superstars with Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton, each team's supporting cast will likely have an even more important role. The team that has won the bench battle generally has been very successful in the postseason thus far. Furthermore, as it relates to OKC, when Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are playing well offensively, the Thunder is extremely difficult to beat. Game 3 will be a fascinating one, as these squads match up for the first time at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in these playoffs. The Pacers are 0-3 in Game 3's in the postseason and the Thunder is 1-2 in Game 3 scenarios this postseason. Furthermore, Oklahoma City has led in all but 113.3 seconds of the NBA Finals, but the series is still tied at 1-1. That's how razor-thin the margins are in the playoffs and why every single possession matters. Wednesday night's Game 3 action will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

NBA Finals Game 3 Odds, Picks, Best ATS Bets: OKC Seeks 2-1 Series Lead
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The NBA Finals shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3 on Wednesday night, with OKC laying 5 points at most sportsbooks. The NBA Finals shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3 on Wednesday night, with OKC laying 5 points at most sportsbooks. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The NBA Finals continue with a pivotal Game 3 on Wednesday night in Indianapolis. Can the Pacers win one or both of the next two games at home and make it clear that we're in for a long series? Or will the Thunder -- who led by double digits for most of Games 1 and 2, but let the series opener slip away at home last Thursday -- give hoops fans another reminder of why they entered this series as one of the heaviest betting favorites in NBA Finals history? NBA Finals Game 3 Betting Odds After being favored by double-digits in both Games 1 and 2, the Thunder are just 5 or 5.5-point favorites (depending on the sportsbook) in tonight's game. DK FD bet365 OKC spread -5.5 (-108) -5 (-114) -5.5 (-105) IND spread +5.5 (-112) +5 (-106) +5.5 (-115) IND ML -218 -220 -220 OKC ML +180 +184 +180 Total 227.5 (o-110; u-110) 227.5 (o-108; u-112) 227 (o-110; u-110) How to Watch NBA Finals Game 3: Thunder vs. Pacers Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET Channel: ABC NBA Finals Series Winner Odds: OKC Heavily Favored Oklahoma City remains heavily favored in this series despite dropping Game 1. 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NBA Betting Promos & Bonuses for Pacers vs Thunder NBA Finals Betting Odds
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