In yet another unforgettable moment for his legendary career, LeBron James tipped in the game winning shot at the buzzer to top his 10 point fourth quarter to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a thrilling 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers last Wednesday night.
James’ game-winner saved what had been a quiet night for him by just barely extending his NBA-record streak of 10 or more points to 1,283 games. He was 0-for-6 with only three points heading into the fourth quarter, but finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Luka Doncic scored 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Austin Reaves added his 24 points and 5 assists to the total. With the Lakers shooting 52.4% from the field and making 10 3-pointers, two more than Indiana, they were finally able to snap their three-game losing streak.
The Lakers were leading in the second and third quarters while being up 118-112 until Tyrese Haliburton’s three-point play giving the Pacers the lead after a 7-0 run. The Pacers led by one point with 42.2 seconds to go in the fourth quarter but with one final possession the ball was in the veteran’s hands, who made a putback layup to show why it’s not over until the jello’s jiggling.
After both teams had empty possessions, Doncic’s miss on the midrange floater set James’ up for the game winner.
With the win, the Lakers took a crucial step forward in the playoff race, and James added yet another legendary moment to his hall of fame résumé.
James is now tied for second most game-winning buzzer-beaters all-time with eight, including the regular season and playoffs, only one behind Michael Jordan’s nine.
In rather stressful fashion for Lakers fans, their next game against the Chicago Bulls also went down to the wire. With time nearly expiring, Josh Giddey heaved a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 119-117 victory on Thursday night. Some may say this was one of the NBA’s wildest finishes this season, topping even the Lakers-Pacers ending the previous night.
Giddey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Coby White scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 21 to Chicago’s total, making it nine wins out of 11 for the Bulls, who are currently fighting for a playoff spot going into the postseason. Beating this Chicago team on the road was always going to be a hard task, especially after the Lakers lost to them at home on March 22.
Patrick Williams and White hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Bulls after trailing by five points with 12.6 seconds to go in the game. The Lakers looked like they had the game in the bag, leading 115-110 after Austin Reaves made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining. But The Bulls didn’t take no for an answer.
Williams was left wide open in the corner and nailed a three for Chicago after being left unguarded by LeBron James. Then, Giddey stole the inbound pass from James with nine seconds to go and White knocked down another three with six seconds left, putting the Bulls on top, 116-115.
Reaves then drove for a layup to give the Lakers a lead, 117-116, to surely close the game.
Except, with the Bulls trailing by one and just three seconds left on the clock, Giddey took one dribble and launched a prayer from half-court that cleared “nothin’ but net” making the United Center erupt in chaos. The game-winner erased a stellar Lakers comeback, handing LA its eighth loss in the last 12 games.
Reaves led the Lakers with 30 points, pulling his weight as a key scoring contributor alongside James and Doncic, who had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jaxson Hayes had 19 points as well, and James finished with 17 points and 12 assists.
Giddey’s half-court heartbreaker will go down as one of the most unforgettable moments of this season.
The Lakers managed to shake off the tough loss to Chicago on Saturday night, dropping 134 points on the Memphis Grizzlies to get back in the win column. Reaves had another top-notch performance, scoring 31 while shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the arc to go along with his eight assists and seven rebounds. Doncic also came within touching distance of a triple-double, posting 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Beyond Reaves, LA’s 3-point shooting helped lift the team past Memphis, shooting almost 40% from beyond the arc.
But on Monday night, the Houston Rockets dragged the Lakers into more of a slugfest. Both teams shot around just 40% from the field, but LA got the win over Houston 104-98 and Dorian Finney-Smith iced the game from the free-throw line after knocking down six of 11 threes off the bench.
The past week’s action leaves the Lakers in fourth place in the Western Conference, just one game behind the Denver Nuggets and two ahead of Memphis in fifth. Looking ahead to a potential playoff bracket, LA might prefer to stay in fourth and play a Memphis team in turmoil, as the Grizzlies fired long-time head coach Taylor Jenkins last Friday after a post-All-Star break slump. That is, if the Grizzlies can hold onto fifth place with the Warriors, Timberwolves and Clippers breathing down their necks.
The Lakers have two rest days before returning to action against Golden State on Thursday, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.