Watch: LeBron James tips in buzzer-beater vs. Pacers

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates his game-winning tip-in against the Indiana Pacers with teammates. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Watch: LeBron James saves Lakers, tips in buzzer-beater vs. Pacers

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Mar 26, 2025 11:05 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James didn't have one of his better games in Wednesday night's road matchup against the Indiana Pacers, but he delivered when it counted.

With the Pacers leading 119-118 and 4.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Lakers guard Luka Doncic attacked the paint, fired a floater and missed. James, however, tipped the ball into the basket, barely beating the buzzer.

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

This should overshadow a quiet shooting night for James. The 40-year-old scored just 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Citing ESPN's broadcast, Bleacher Report shared he entered the fourth quarter with three points.

Still, the Lakers probably don't care about James' stats, considering he stepped up in a potential must-win game. Before Wednesday's matchup, L.A. had lost seven of its past 10 games.

The slide has put the Lakers at risk of losing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers (44-28) are fourth in the Western Conference, leading the No. 6 seed L.A. Clippers (41-31) by only three games.

With 10 regular-season games remaining, the Lakers could use more heroics from James, who could make history if he makes more game-winners. Citing ESPN, ClutchPoints noted James now has eight buzzer-beaters in the regular season and playoffs, tied for the second most in league history behind Michael Jordan.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: