LeBron James scores tip-in buzzer-beater, saves 18-year double-digit scoring streak to snap Lakers’ losing streak

LeBron James is inevitable.

The Los Angeles Lakers star saved his quietly legendary streak of double-digit scoring, then loudly won the game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday with a tip-in buzzer-beater off a Luka Dončić miss. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lakers.

LEBRON BUZZER BEATER

James entered the fourth quarter with only three points on 0-for-6 shooting from the field, but scored on four straight possessions in the span of three minutes to bump his total to 11. He appears to be very aware of the streak.

LeBron James has LOCKED IN for the 4Q

The flurry coincided with a 10-0 Lakers run to take a 13-point lead early in the fourth. The game nearly turned into a disaster, though, as the Pacers erased the lead with their own 13-0 run and even took the lead at one point. Los Angeles took back control enough to lead by six with two minutes left, but Indiana responded with scores on three straight possessions to take the lead.

That set up James, who was scoreless since reaching 11 points, to get up to 13 points on the night in dramatic fashion. He also finished with 13 rebounds and seven assists, with 4-of-12 shooting. Dončić had the more productive night overall, finishing with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assist.

James still hasn’t scored fewer than 10 points in a game since Jan. 5 2007, a span of more than 18 years, meaning there are legal adults who haven’t been alive the last time James didn’t have two numbers in his scoring column. It is a health accomplishment as much as performance, as many of these streaks often die because a player was forced to leave early with an injury.

The second-longest streak belongs to Michael Jordan with 866.

No stat shows LeBron James’ consistency and longevity like this one. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)

James’ heroics saved the Lakers from further tension. The team has been dealing with significant injuries over the past weeks — most notably its two weeks without James due to a groin strain — but had everyone back last weekend. So it was a surprise when they got run out of the gym by the Chicago Bulls in James’ first game back.

Another lopsided loss to the Orlando Magic followed, but the Lakers got back in the win column Wednesday. They currently hold a record of 44-28, good for fifth place in the Western Conference and a half-game behind the Memphis Grizzlies, who are currently in line to be their first-round opponent in the NBA playoffs.

Wednesday obviously wasn’t all good for the Lakers, though, and they now have only 10 games remaining on the regular season schedule. The team appears to have the talent of a contender; the question now is if they can be healthy and back up to speed, like they were during their eight-game win streak, when the games start really counting.