When time was nearly up, LeBron James scored the game-winning basket to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Indiana Pacers and snap their losing streak.
James was there to tip in a Luka Doncic miss just before the buzzer, giving the Pacers a 120-119 victory in Indianapolis, despite the fact that they were down one point with forty-two seconds left.James did not make a field goal until the fourth quarter but finished the night with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
“It’s 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” said J.J. Redick, the Lakers coach.
“He gets rewarded by the basketball gods because he didn’t let go of the rope and didn’t stop competing.”
After stopping a three-game losing streak, the Lakers, who are currently fourth in the Western Conference, improved their record to 44-28.
Doncic led Los Angeles with 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, followed by Austin Reaves with 24 and Rui Hachimura with 14.
The Toronto Raptors easily defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-86 on Wednesday, while the Washington Wizards defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to snap a five-game losing run.
After returning from injury, Nikola Jokic scored 39 points and had his 30th triple-double of the season to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-117 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-102 to extend their winning streak to seven games.
After rallying from a 14-point deficit to overcome the New York Knicks 126-113, the Los Angeles Clippers improved their record to 41-31 and maintained their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
With 41 victories, the Golden State Warriors rank seventh in the Western Conference, while the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a 41-32 record, are in eighth place.
