LeBron James scored the winning basket with mere seconds left on the clock as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak with a thrilling 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
In a nail-biting finish, the Pacers held a one-point lead with 42 seconds remaining, but James tipped in a Luka Doncic miss just before the buzzer to secure the win in Indianapolis.
James, who finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, didn’t make a field goal until the fourth quarter. However, he took over in the final period, showcasing his clutch gene.
“LBJ is another great example of where he doesn’t necessarily have it going early, and got off to a slow start offensively, but he was so good defensively and then takes over in the fourth quarter,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick praised. “He gets rewarded by the basketball gods because he didn’t let go of the rope and didn’t stop competing.”
The Lakers, who improved their record to 44-28, received significant contributions from Luka Doncic (34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists), Austin Reaves (24 points), and Rui Hachimura (14 points).
In other NBA action, the Washington Wizards ended their five-game losing streak with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Toronto Raptors routed the Brooklyn Nets 116-86.
Nikola Jokic returned from injury to inspire the Denver Nuggets to a 127-117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, securing his 30th triple-double of the season. The Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to seven with a 132-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Los Angeles Clippers kept their playoff hopes alive with a come-from-behind 126-113 win over the New York Knicks, improving their record to 41-31.
