LeBron James entered the fourth quarter Wednesday facing the threat of ending his NBA record for consecutive double-digit scoring games.
He ended it with another iconic moment.
The 40-year-old James secured the final of his 13 points with a buzzer-beating tip-in, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers and extending his double-digit scoring streak to 1,283 games. Not that James was keeping track.
"It's whatever it takes to help your teammates win,” James said after a replay review confirmed the winning basket. "I can do other things to impact the game. That’s the beauty of my game. I’ve always built it my whole life as far as being three-dimensional, being able to get my guys involved, being able to rebound, defend and sprinkle some points in here and there.”
The league's career scoring leader has done far more than sprinkle his points around, especially against the Pacers. And Wednesday was no different. He flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists despite going just 4 of 12 from the field and 0 for 3 on 3-pointers.
And this time, it appeared the Pacers might get the upper hand on their old nemesis.
They had held him to 0-for-6 shooting with three points through the first three quarters, forcing the ball out of his hands as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves delivered points. Suddenly, statisticians were checking James' lowest single-game field goal totals and reflecting on his last single-digit game, an eight-point effort against Milwaukee on Jan. 5, 2007.
But just as it seemed history might be made as the Pacers charged back from a 17-point deficit to close to 95-92 after three quarters, James re-emerged.
"Obviously, I know I can score the ball,” he said. "But until we find a little rhythm offensively or whatever the case may be, the defensive side is the most important for our ballclub.”
James made his first basket 49 seconds into the fourth quarter. His next one came 37 seconds later. That was followed by two free throws and a driving layup to give him 11 points and the Lakers a 105-92 lead with roughly 9 1/2 minutes to play.
It didn't last.
The Pacers charged back two more times, retaking the lead for the final time on Tyrese Haliburton's three-point play with 42.2 seconds to go. That gave Indiana a 119-118 lead, putting the struggling Lakers in danger of losing their fourth straight.
James refused to let it happen, though, as Doncic took a midrange shot that bounced off the rim with the clock about to expire. And then, out of nowhere, came James.
"I was just trying to read the ball off the rim,” James said. "It kind of looked like it was a little short, but I knew it had a chance to bounce in if it hit the front rim. Once it came out, I kind of wanted to tap it with enough time. Obviously, you could probably see me looking over at the Jumbotron to see if I actually got it in time and it was a good play for us.”
And yet another frustrating chapter in the Pacers rivalry with James, who twice eliminated the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals during his time with Miami and twice more in the first round after he returned to Cleveland.
"It's the first time I've ever been walked off in the NBA, so probably fitting,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said after chatting with James following the game. "It was obviously a great play by a great player.”
