With a pulsating 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James put a stop to their three-game losing streak with a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.01 seconds left.
With 42 seconds left, the Pacers took a 119-118 lead before the Lakers were on the verge of a fourth straight defeat on Wednesday thanks to a thrilling duel in Indianapolis.
However, Luka Doncic made one last drive to the basket as the rim of his attempted 13-foot floater sank off the rim.
The Lakers won the playoff game game with a swift leap from James to give the winning score by palming the ball into the bucket.
James, 40, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists after failing to score from the field in the opening three quarters.
Despite having an offensive off-night, Lakers coach J J Redick praised the veteran superstar’s perseverance in pulling his team over the line.
Another excellent example of how he started off slowly offensively without going too far in the direction of Redick.
He played a great defensive role for us, though. Then, in the fourth quarter, he takes over and is rewarded by the basketball gods for sticking to his rope and continuing to compete.
James claimed that his subdued offensive performance had no bearing on him.
James remarked, “Whatever it takes to help your teammates win.” Even when I’m not scoring, I can always do other things that have an impact on the game that still matter.
I’ve always built that foundation throughout my entire life, getting my guys to get involved, rebound, defend, and then sprinkle in a few points where necessary.
With 34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for the Lakers for 24 points, as well as Rui Hachimura, who had 14 points.
With a victory, the Lakers are now 44-28 in the Western Conference. The top six overall winners of the standings automatically advance to the playoffs.
Source: Aljazeera
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