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LeBron James Saves Brutal Statistical Night With Buzzer Beater Tip-In vs. Pacers

LeBron James saved his best for last on Wednesday night.

Ryan Phillips

LeBron James tips in the game-winning shot against the Indiana Pacers.
LeBron James tips in the game-winning shot against the Indiana Pacers. / Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
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The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were headed to a fourth consecutive loss—then LeBron James struck.

The Indiana Pacers led L.A. 119-118 with a few seconds left when Luka Doncic missed a floater in the lane with about one second remaining. As the missed shot bounced around the rim, James closed on the basket, and when the ball popped out, he tapped it back in.

It was incredibly close to being too late, but a review showed the ball leave contact with his hand with 0.1 seconds remaining. 

It was an odd game for James, who played the first three quarters without scoring a field goal for the second time in his career. He closed well though, finishing with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes. 

The Lakers have been sliding of late and entered the game having lost seven of their last 10 with losing streaks of four and three included in that stretch.

A loss Wednesday night could have been devastating, as they continue to battle Houston and Denver for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. 

Luckily, James was there to save them.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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