LeBron James makes his feelings known after dramatic day ends with game-winner vs Pacers: "I can always do other things"

LeBron James struggled to find his rhythm against the Indiana Pacers, delivering a subpar scoring performance as per his high standards. But in the end, none of that mattered. With the game on the line, James tipped in Luka Doncic’s missed floater to help the Los Angeles Lakers clinch a dramatic 120-119 buzzer-beating win.

LeBron made the smart play during the final possession of the game, passing to Doncic, who had been carrying the offensive load throughout the game. Despite an open look, the Slovenian national missed his floater, but luckily James came to the rescue.

"Whatever it takes to help your team win. For me, I can always do other things to impact the game when I'm not scoring. That's the beauty of my game,” James spoke about his game-winner despite having an off night, scoring-wise.

The 6-foot-9 forward had a forgettable scoring display, scoring merely 13 points on 33.3% FG and 0/3 3FG. But he did manage to make his presence felt. Apart from recording the most important two points in the game, he did contribute in other departments – 13 rebounds and seven assists.

LeBron James gets praised by the Lakers

The Lakers Nation erupted with joy after LeBron James hit a clutch game-winning shot to snap the team’s three-game losing streak. Fans flooded social media and the energy was just as high within the Purple & Gold locker room.

“Just a really good player making a really good play… Just shows you what he's about. He's a winner at heart,” Austin Reaves said.

Head coach JJ Redick highlighted LeBron’s impact on both ends of the floor.

“He was so good defensively. He was so good on the glass for us and really led us on that end, and then takes over in the 4th quarter and gets rewarded by the basketball gods.”

LeBron James’ game-winner has a significant impact on the standings. Now 44-28, the Lakers move up to the 4th spot in the stacked Western Conference standings, just one game back from the 3rd-place Denver Nuggets.

With momentum on their side, the Lakers will aim to carry this energy into Thursday’s matchup in Illinois against the Chicago Bulls.