Mar 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates his game winning shot against the Indiana Pacers with teammates at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pistons Standings Watch: LeBron James Tips in Game-Winner vs Pacers

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 10:58 AM ET

While the Detroit Pistons have clinched a spot in the postseason, they still have a chance to improve their seeding. Thanks to a little help from LeBron James, a window of opportunity has opened for them to cover some ground in the final stretch.

Among the teams the Pistons are still jockeying for position with are the Indiana Pacers. They are holding on to the fourth seed, but Detroit isn't far behind them. The gap has gotten even smaller after Indiana lost their latest matchup in the final moments.

Facing off against the Lakers on national TV, the Pacers found themselves up one with under 10 seconds to go. LA got the ball to Luka Doncic, who managed to get a floater of a sea of defenders.

Doncic's shot attempt didn't fall, but LeBron didn't give up on the play. He got positioning below the rim and managed to tip-in the miss just before time expired. In the end, the Lakers walked away with a 120-119 victory.

LEBRON JAMES WINS IT AT THE BUZZER pic.twitter.com/AZ2xR9zQYA
— ESPN (@espn) March 27, 2025

The game-winner capped off what was already a strong all-around performance from LeBron. He nearly ended the night with a triple-double, finishing with a stat line of 13 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.

With this gut-punching loss, the Pacers drop to 42-30 on the year. In regards to the standings, their lead on the Pistons now sits at just one-and-a-half games with only ten games to go in the scheudle.

The pressure is now on the Pistons to take care of business in their next game to further gain ground on Indiana. That is going to be no small feat, as they'll be back in action on Friday night to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers.