LeBron James tips in a buzzer-beater; Lakers narrowly escape Pacers 120-119
LeBron James went from potentially watching one of his most famous streaks end to creating another signature moment Wednesday night.
After struggling to score through three quarters, James tipped in a rebound as time expired, giving his Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 road win over the Indiana Pacers. The bucket gave James 10 points in the fourth quarter, getting him to 13 for the night.
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James had just three points — all free throws — through three quarters. He last scored fewer than 10 points in a regular season game on Jan. 5, 2007, when he had nine points in 43 minutes in a Cleveland Cavaliers game in Milwaukee. Wednesday marked James' 1,283rd game since then. He has scored fewer than 10 points in a playoff game twice during that span, most recently on May 28, 2014.
Wednesday, James put back a miss from his new teammate Luka Dončić, capping a wild final minutes in Indianapolis. The Lakers took a six-point lead with 1:51 remaining, but surrendered two fairly easy buckets down the stretch, appearing content to play it safe and not foul.
A turnover from Austin Reeves and a floater, plus a free throw, from Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton gave Indiana a 119-118 lead with 42 seconds remaining. The lead held up for 41.9 seconds.
🚨 LEBRON FOR THE WIN 🚨@KingJames tips in the #TissotBuzzerBeater!#YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/OBpFFuaAPy
— NBA (@NBA) March 27, 2025
'To be honest with you, I didn't know how I felt because I was trying to look at the jumbotron to see if I got (the shot) off before time expired,' James told ESPN after the game.
'I said (on Wednesday morning) that after two weeks, it's going to take a little bit to get my rhythm back offensively, to get my wind back and get my cardio back. One thing about my game is I can always do other things on the floor to help our team win even when I'm not shooting the ball well.'
James missed seven of the Lakers' past 11 games due to a groin strain. Los Angeles lost the first two games of James' return — a home loss to Chicago and a defeat in Orlando.
James missed all six of his field-goal attempts over the first three quarters, but went 4 for 6 from the field and 2 for 2 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. He finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in nearly 38 minutes.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 44-28. The Pacers fell to 42-30.
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