LeBron James on Wednesday tipped in a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Los Angeles Lakers halted their three-game losing streak in the NBA with a pulsating 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers.
A thrilling duel in Indianapolis, Indiana, saw the Pacers climb out of a 13-point fourth-quarter hole to snatch a 119-118 lead with 42 seconds remaining and leave the Lakers staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat.
However, with the clock ticking down, Luka Doncic made one last drive to the basket — only to see his attempted floater bounce off the rim.
Photo: AP
James reacted fastest, leaping to palm the ball into the bucket for the winning score and give the Lakers a precious victory in the race for Western Conference playoff berths.
The 40-year-old James — who had failed to score from the field in the opening three quarters — finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Doncic led the Lakers scoring with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Austin Reaves provided offensive support with 24 points along with Rui Hachimura, who scored 14.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, it was:
‧ 76ers 114, Wizards 119
‧ Knicks 113, Clippers 126
‧ Nets 86, Raptors 116
‧ Nuggets 127, Bucks 117
‧ Suns 102, Celtics 132
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
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EMPTY STANDS: Maccabi fans were banned from attending by police, who cited violence and hate crimes when the team played Ajax in Amsterdam last season Aston Villa beat Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 on Thursday in a Europa League game played amid heightened security measures, with more than 700 police officers deployed to deal with possible protests. Morgan Rogers put through Ian Maatsen in first-half stoppage time for the defender to score from a tight angle and Villa doubled the lead on the hour with Donyell Malen hitting the bottom corner from the penalty spot. It was Villa’s third win from games in the competition. The game at Villa Park had become the center of a political debate after Maccabi fans were banned from attending, as
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