LeBron James’ buzzer-beater surprises the Pacers, puts an end to L.A.’s 3-game slide and moves it back to 4th in the West.
A reminder on The Horry Scale: It breaks down a game-winning buzzer-beater (GWBB) in the categories of difficulty, game situation (was the team tied or behind at the time?), importance (playoff game or garden-variety night in November?) and celebration. Then we give it an overall grade on a scale of 1-5 Robert Horrys, named for the patron saint of last-second answered prayers.
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LeBron James saved his best for last on Wednesday night.
After a slow start — he had two points at halftime and didn’t reach double digits until midway through the fourth quarter — James came to the rescue when the Lakers needed him most, tipping in the game-winner to give L.A. the 120-119 win over the Pacers in Indianapolis.
Riding a three-game losing streak (and seven of their last 10), the Lakers’ backs were against the wall after blowing a 17-point lead in a game that featured eight lead changes and seven ties. Luka Dončić scored 34 and Austin Reaves added 24 to do the heavy lifting for the Lakers, who seemed on their way to a win until Tyrese Haliburton hit a wild and-1 with 42 seconds left to give Indiana the lead and eventually set up James’ heroics.
GAME SITUATION: After forcing a missed 3 from Bennedict Mathurin with 11 seconds left, the Lakers decided not to call a timeout and instead trust their stars (while also making sure center Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton stayed on the Pacers’ bench). The ball ended up in Dončić’s hands, who got into the lane for a floater that rolled off the front iron … where James was perfectly positioned for the putback.
DIFFICULTY: The tip-in might have been James’ easiest bucket of the night. Before the winner, he was 3-for-11, missing all three 3-point attempts, and didn’t make his first field goal until the fourth quarter. However, he positioned himself in just the right spot on the final play. He redirected Dončić’s miss to help the Lakers snap their three-game losing streak and begin the celebration in Indianapolis.
🚨 LEBRON FOR THE WIN 🚨@KingJames tips in the #TissotBuzzerBeater!#YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/OBpFFuaAPy
— NBA (@NBA) March 27, 2025
CELEBRATION: After hitting the putback, James immediately raised his hand in the air, pointing with his finger repeatedly as if to say “count it” while simultaneously reaching down to pick up Dončić, who had fallen to the floor after taking the contact from the defender. Reaves was the first teammate to arrive, bear-hugging the hero before James’ teammates immediately surrounded the veteran star, who could be seen saying “That’s ballgame!” while waiting for official word that the shot fell before the final buzzer. The officials confirmed the bucket was good, and the Lakers’ win was sealed.
GRADE: While the tip-in was anything but difficult, it came from James, who now has eight game-winning buzzer-beaters in his career (regular season and playoffs), trailing only Michael Jordan, who had nine. It was James’ first with the Lakers and third in his career against the Pacers. The Lakers are fighting for playoff positioning in the crowded West — they’re currently fourth — and every victory has extra meaning when home-court advantage in the playoffs is on the line. Due to the importance and high intensity of the back-and-forth game, we’ll give it 3 1/2 Horrys.
