LEBRON James tipped in the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
James, who didn’t connect on a field goal until the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers (44-28) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Trailing by three with five minutes left, Los Angeles went on an 11-2 run. The Pacers then retook the lead with seven straight points to grab a 119-118 edge with 42 seconds left. After Bennedict Mathurin missed a 3-pointer, the Lakers’ Luka Doncic missed a floater, but James got a hand on the ball for the tip-in just a split-second before the buzzer.
Doncic had 34 points, seven boards and seven assists for Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves scored 24 and Hachimura added 14. Indiana (42-30) was led by Mathurin’s 23 points off the bench and Haliburton’s 16 points and 18 assists. Myles Turner contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end.
In other games, it was the Wizards 119, Sixers 114; Raptors 116, Nets 86; Nuggets 127, Bucks 117; Clippers 126, Knicks 113; and Celtics 132, Suns 102.
Wizards 119, Sixers 114
Alex Sarr had 24 points to lead Washington to a road win over Philadelphia to snap a five-game losing streak.
Justin Champagnie had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who shot 50.5 percent from the field, including 18 of 44 3-pointers. Jordan Poole chipped in with 18 points and seven assists.
Quentin Grimes paced the 76ers with 22 points, while GuerschonYabusele went for 21 points and eight boards. With 19 points and 10 rebounds, Justin Edwards recorded his first career double-double for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth straight.
Raptors 116, Nets 86
With Orlando Robinson going for 23 points and 12 rebounds, Toronto picked up its largest margin of victory of the season with the rout of Brooklyn in New York.
Robinson, starting in place of the resting JakobPoeltl, hit 10 of 14 shots to give the Raptors their second straight win. Jonathan Mogbo had 16 points off the bench for Toronto, while R.J. Barrett and Scottie Barnes both scored 15.
Nic Claxton had 22 points and 11 boards to lead the Nets, who lost their fifth straight and 16th in 19 games. Ziaire Williams finished with 13 points for Brooklyn, which committed 20 turnovers that turned into 30 points for the Raptors.
