LeBron James saves Luka Doncic's "disaster" to give the Lakers the victory

LeBron James was the hero of the night, scoring the winning shot in the last second and giving Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

"I couldn't show too much emotion because I was trying to see if I got the ball off on time, to be honest," he commented after the win. "But after seeing the replay, it was definitely gratifying."

An official review confirmed that James' right hand touched the ball with 0.2 seconds remaining, deflecting a missed attempt by Luka Doncic just before time expired.

The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Lakers and halted a string of five victories for the Pacers. Additionally, with this game-winning shot, LeBron tied Kobe Bryant and Joe Johnson for the second-highest number of baskets to decide a game in NBA history (eight), only behind Michael Jordan (nine).

"This shows who he is," said Lakers guard Austin Reaves. "He's a winner at heart, plain and simple."

The dramatic ending was the culmination of a fourth quarter full of emotions, in which Indiana erased a 13-point deficit to tie the game. Then, after trailing by six with 1:51 to play, the Pacers took the lead with a three-point play by Tyrese Haliburton (16 points, 18 assists) with 42 seconds left.

"It looked like a game we won three times and lost three times before finally winning it," said Lakers coach JJ Redick. "It's difficult to win in the NBA. It's hard to beat a great team like Indiana. Frankly, they don't get the recognition they deserve. They're a phenomenal team."

The Lakers won both meetings of the season against Indiana. All five Lakers starters scored in double figures, with Doncic leading with 34 points and Reaves adding 24.

James' impact in the final quarter contrasted with the first three, where he had the most discreet night of his career in offensive terms. Until the last period, he had only scored three points with 0 for 6 in field goals, marking the first time in 1,553 regular-season games that he had failed to score in the first three quarters while on the court.

"With just six shot attempts, you really don't know if you're in rhythm or out of it," said James. "But it's always about what more can I do to impact the game."

LeBron quickly scored eight of the Lakers' first ten points in the final quarter, extending his streak of 1,283 consecutive games with at least 10 points. He finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds (team leader), and 7 assists, playing 38 minutes in just his third game back from a left groin strain that kept him out for two weeks.

Forward Rui Hachimura (14 points, 4 rebounds) also had his best game since returning after missing 12 games due to left knee tendinopathy. In the final quarter, he hit two consecutive three-pointers that gave the Lakers a six-point lead with less than two minutes left.

"As a team, getting back our rhythm is challenging," said Hachimura. "We know what we used to have, but we have about 10 games left, so we need to find our rhythm before the playoffs."

With the victory, the Los Angeles Lakers (44-28) sit in the fourth position in the Western Conference, one game behind the third-place Denver Nuggets and virtually tied with the Memphis Grizzlies, fifth in the standings. Their four-game road trip continues on Thursday in Chicago against the Bulls and concludes on Saturday in Memphis.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, LeBron James salva el "desastre" de Luka Doncic para darle el triunfo a los Lakers