LeBron James started slowly in the Los Angeles Lakers` game against the Indiana Pacers, missing all his field goal attempts in the first three quarters. This was only the second time in his career he had gone three full quarters without a basket. The first instance was on December 29, 2004, early in his NBA career.
However, he saved his best for the crucial moment.
Right before the game clock ran out at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, James tipped in a missed shot from Luka Doncic. This dramatic play gave the Lakers a 120-119 victory and broke their three-game losing streak.
After a vital defensive stop with just 10 seconds remaining, the Lakers chose not to call a timeout and quickly moved the ball up the court. James, positioned in the corner, could have taken a shot himself, but seeing a double-team approach, he passed the ball to Doncic. Doncic drove to the basket and got a good look, but his floater shot bounced off the rim, fortunately softly enough for James to tip it back in just as the buzzer sounded.
“To be honest, I didn`t even know how it felt because I was immediately looking at the jumbotron to see if the shot was in time,” James said in a post-game interview.
James, whose streak of scoring in double figures seemed at risk entering the fourth quarter, finished the game with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. He has now scored 10 or more points in 1,283 consecutive games, a record 417 games longer than Michael Jordan`s, who ranks second on the list.
Speaking of Michael Jordan, Jordan is now the only player with more career buzzer-beating game-winners than James. This game-winner was James` eighth.
