LeBron James tipped in the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the visiting Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
James, who didn’t connect on a field goal until the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (44-28), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Trailing by three with five minutes left, Los Angeles went on an 11-2 run that was stamped with a triple by Rui Hachimura with 1:51 remaining. The Pacers then retook the lead with seven straight points, including a Tyrese Haliburton three-point play to grab a 119-118 edge with 42 seconds left.
After Bennedict Mathurin missed a 3-pointer, Luka Doncic’s missed floater was put back in by James at the buzzer.
Doncic had 34 points, seven boards and seven assists for Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves scored 24 and Hachimura added 14.
Indiana (42-30) was led by Mathurin’s 23 points off the bench and Haliburton’s 16 points and 18 assists. Myles Turner contributed with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end, and Andrew Nembhard finished with 16 points.
Trailing by 13 at halftime, Indiana trimmed its deficit to seven on Turner’s triple. Doncic’s layup later pushed the Lakers’ lead to 83-73, but a 13-5 Pacers spurt was capped by triples from Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith to pull Indiana within two.
Nembhard’s basket on Indiana’s final possession sent the Pacers into the final quarter with a 95-92 deficit.
James’ first two field goals came on consecutive trips at the beginning of the fourth, with his second basket forcing an Indiana timeout down 101-92. James then continued his run with four more points before Mathurin scored eight as part of Indiana’s 13-0 run, tying the game at 105 at the 6:05 mark.
Just over a minute later, Turner’s trey gave the Pacers their first lead since the opening minute of the second quarter.
Indiana took a 33-28 lead into the second quarter, but the Lakers opened the second on a 15-0 run. Nembhard’s three-point play stopped the bleeding for Indiana, but Reaves then scored 10 of the Lakers’ next 12 points, helping give Los Angeles a 55-43 edge with less than five minutes left in the first half.
Mathurin scored the Pacers’ final six points of the first half, but Jaxson Hayes’ dunk with 11 seconds remaining gave the Lakers a 68-55 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
