LeBron James owned the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in the Los Angeles Lakers' thrilling win on Wednesday night in Indianapolis, but his teammate Luka Doncic owned the game.
James put up 10 points in the final stanza, including a tip-in of a Doncic miss with a fraction of a second remaining on the clock to give Los Angeles a one-point victory over the Pacers. James made history in the process, moving into sole possession of second place for the most buzzer-beating shots all-time with eight total.
However, it was Doncic who led L.A. in scoring and carried the Lakers to victory on the strength of 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. By crossing the 30-point threshold, Doncic became the first member of the franchise to put up that many points in four consecutive games since James did so back in 2022.
Luka Doncic records his 4th straight game with 30+ points
34 points
32 points
34 points
31 points
He's the first Laker since LeBron James in 2022 to have 4 straight games scoring 30+ points. pic.twitter.com/9j0xFMPwqH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 27, 2025
"Luka Doncic records his 4th straight game with 30+ points: 34 points, 32 points, 34 points, 31 points," ClutchPoints posted to its X account following the game on March 26. "He's the first Laker since leBron James in 2022 to have 4 straight games scoring 30+ points."
L.A. has needed Doncic at his best to remain competitive over a stretch of 10 games, dating back to a March 8 contest against the Boston Celtics. James suffered a groin injury during the fourth quarter of that contest that forced him to exit.
The Lakers are 4-6 in the 10 games since that injury. James has played in the last three (1-2), and Los Angeles was 3-4 without him in the lineup.
L.A. is currently tied with the Memphis Grizzlies at 44-28 on the season, but holds the tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Denver Nuggets are a half game up on the Lakers with a record of 45-28.
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This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 7:50 PM.