LOS ANGELES: LeBron James tipped in a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Los Angeles Lakers halted their three-game losing streak with a pulsating 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
A thrilling duel in Indianapolis 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.
But with the clock ticking down, Luka Doncic made one last drive to the basket – only to see his attempted 13-foot floater bounce off the rim.
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.
Lakers coach J.J. Redick saluted the veteran superstar’s perseverance in dragging his team over the line despite having an offensive off-night.
“It’s another great example of where he doesn’t necessarily have it going early, and got off to a slow start offensively,” Redick said.
“But he was so good defensively for us. And then he takes over in the fourth quarter and gets rewarded by the basketball gods because he didn’t let go of the rope and didn’t stop competing.”
James said he hadn’t been bothered by his low-key offensive performance.
“Whatever it takes to help your teammates win,” James said. “For me, I can always do other things that still impact the game, even when I’m not scoring.
“That’s the beauty of my game, I’ve always built that throughout my whole life – get my guys involved, rebound, defend and then sprinkle in a few points here and there.”
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 (14pts).
The win leaves the Lakers in fourth place in the Western Conference on 44-28. The top six finishers in the standings qualify automatically for the playoffs.
In other games, the Los Angeles Clippers battled back from 14 points down to defeat the New York Knicks 126-113 at Madison Square Garden.
James Harden scored 29 points including six three-pointers while Kawhi Leonard added 27 to give the Clippers a crucial victory which leaves them on 41-31 and occupying the sixth automatic playoff spot in the West.
The Clippers however have little margin for slip-ups in a tightly contested playoff race that looks likely to go down to the wire in the final weeks of the regular season.
The Golden State Warriors are in seventh place in the West, also with 41 wins, with the Minnesota Timberwolves in eighth with a 41-32 record.
LeBron James buzzer-beater rescues Lakers to halt losing streak
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LeBron James buzzer-beater rescues Lakers to halt losing streak
- 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
Two own goals save Arsenal blushes against Wolves
LONDON: Arsenal avoided a major embarrassment against Premier League bottom club Wolves on Saturday, benefiting from two own goals — one in stoppage time — to win 2-1 and move five points clear of Manchester City.
Manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his team had struggled to create clear chances and that the win should have been much more comfortable.
But he said that the manner of the victory would give the team a major boost.
“That gives you belief that regardless of how the game goes, you can always find a solution to win it,” he told TNT Sports.
“But now we’re going to have a clean week. We need to start to train certain aspects slowly, because if you don’t train them, you start to deteriorate a little bit.”
Arteta’s men were blunt in the first half, failing to muster a single shot on target as Gabriel Martinelli wasted a clutch of chances.
The Arsenal boss made three changes shortly before the hour mark, bringing on Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino for Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi.
The Gunners mounted wave after wave of attacks, and Declan Rice’s shot midway through the second half — their first on target — was well saved by Sam Johnstone.
But in the 70th minute the sheer weight of pressure told to the enormous relief of an impatient and nervy Emirates crowd.
Johnstone flicked Bukayo Saka’s corner onto a post as he scrambled to reach the ball but it rebounded back onto his arm and into the net for an own goal.
Gabriel Jesus came on for Viktor Gyokores for his first home match after 11 months out injured.
Astonishingly, Wolves pulled level in the 90th minute, when Mateus Mane’s flat cross was headed in by Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare.
But just as the Arsenal fans contemplated a damaging draw, the Gunners benefited from a second own goal.
Saka delivered a perfect cross which Jesus attacked but the ball was diverted into his own net by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Winless Wolves, with a ninth league defeat in a row, have mustered just two points from their 16 games so far and are on course for the worst season in Premier League history.
Pep Guardiola’s City travel to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday seeking to close the gap to Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004.
