When LeBron James closed out the Los Angeles Lakers' first half against the Indiana Pacers without a single point, it notched a not-so-good new record on his incredible resume.
After scoring at least one point in the first half of every game he's appeared in since 2010, including his second run in Cleveland and his entire run with the Lakers, James was getting dangerously close to having his first-ever zero-point game at the NBA level, which wouldn't have been a huge deal, all things considered, but would have created an absolutely unreal amount of commotion on the sports talk scene.
And yet, as one of the true GOATs of the NBA, James pulled a rabbit out of his hat in a major way, scoring 13 points in the final quarter, including the game-winning shot to send the Pacers home unhappy.
Asked about James' big showing down the stretch after a quiet start to the game, head coach JJ Reddick told reporters that he didn't falter in his trust of “The King,” as his commitment to winning remains unmatched.
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“There was certainly a level of frustration from starting 0-of-6 or whatever it was. We missed (LeBron James) early on some early offense seals against smaller players. I think we missed him three times in the first half,” Redick told reporters.
“And sometimes when you're not in the offensive flow, just getting the ball at the rim, scoring a layup, getting to the free throw line, that can really get you going.So we missed out on some opportunities to get him going earlier, but never have questioned that guy's commitment to winning.”
Taking just 12 shors from the field against Indiana, which his noticeably down from his 18.5 per-game average on the season in 2024-25, James found other ways to impact the game even if his shot wasn't falling, bringing in 13 rebounds, seven assists, and a steal to go with only one personal foul and one turnover. James remained engaged when other players may have floundered, and after attempting just one shot in the third, “The King” went off to the tune of four made shots from the field plus a clean 5-5 from the free-throw line.
Would the Lakers have won the game if James hadn't turned on the jets down the stretch? Maybe so, as Luka Doncic did go off for 34 on 11-21 shooting from the field but in the end, James reminded fans why he's still among the best players in the NBA and why he deserves to still be respected as the kind of player who can take over a quarter if he needs to on-demand.