The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers played a close game on Wednesday. The Lakers upset the Pacers 120-119 thanks to LeBron James‘ game-winning putback tip. The star forward’s heroics in the last minutes of the game were a significant factor in Los Angeles’ victory and the end of their three-game losing run.
Doncic grabbed the defensive rebound with ten seconds remaining in the game’s closing seconds. On the right side of the floor, he handed the ball to Austin Reaves, who then passed it to James. Aaron Nesmith defended the 6-foot-9 superstar with the assistance of Pacers player Jarace Walker. The ball eventually made its way back into the Slovenian sensation’s hands.
With four seconds left on the clock, Doncic drove to the basket and attempted to shoot a floater. However, the ball bounced out of the rim. Fortunately, James had an advantageous position to rebound the basketball and tipped the ball before the time expired.
MAN ON THE LAKERS 👏 pic.twitter.com/NqEl8iSzFd
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 27, 2025
After the game, Doncic broke down the sequence, from the moment he secured the rebound until James’ clutch bucket.
“First, when I got the rebound, he [LeBron] was on the court. He was asking for the ball,” Doncic said. “But I wasn’t confident enough to make that pass.
“Nine seconds to go, passed to AR and he passed [it] to LeBron. I just saw how much confidence he has in me and I really appreciate that to give me the final ball.
Luka Dončić speaks with the media after the Lakers snap their 3-game losing streak, beating the Indiana Pacers 120-119. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/F7fd8akcKe
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 27, 2025
“I think we got a great look, didn’t make it but LeBron was there, luckily.”
While Doncic led the team with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, it was James’ final two points of the game that got the team the victory.
James talked about his crucial rebound for the Los Angeles Lakers
James’s final defensive rebound gave the team the victory, even though the majority of analysts and supporters have focused on his clutch shot to secure the victory. The four-time champion discussed his strategy for going after the rebound after the game.
“Once I had and he got the driving angle, I was just trying to read the ball off the rim,” James said. “It kinda looked like it was a little short but I knew it had the chance to kind of hit the front rim, maybe bounce in. But once it came out of there, I just wanted to try to tap it with enough time.”
"That's big-time for our ball club."
LeBron James talks with @LakersReporter and the media after his buzzer-beating tip-in to beat the Pacers 120-119. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/q4rz4wl8VE
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 27, 2025
James was in control of the boards against the Pacers. He had 13 rebounds, 10 of which came from defensive possessions. The Lakers star also had 13 points and seven assists on 33.3% shooting from the field.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
