On Thursday night, all LeBron James did was put his head down and keep driving to the basket. It was a classic move from him.

The same late-game strategy that helped him win four NBA titles and put him in position to become the NBA‘s new lifetime scoring leader served him well once again with the Indiana Pacers. LeBron James scored 26 points, grabbed seven boards, and dished out seven assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 112-111.

This fourth-quarter comeback helped the Lakers overcome a 14-point deficit and win the game. At this point, he needs 63 points to tie or surpass Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387.

James explained that he had realized he would have to focus more on the paint that night. I thought we were attacking, particularly in the last period, and we needed to get some rebounds and put some points on the board.

The Lakers were behind by double digits for the first three quarters, but James appeared unfazed as he did the gritty job. James’ 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining gave the Lakers their first lead of the game as the Lakers were cheered on by the friendly away crowd.

On a night in which he scored 31 points and grabbed 14 boards but was still left off of the All-Star team’s roster, Anthony Davis’ short jumper with 35.1 seconds remaining and following block were the pivotal plays.

Indiana has been in the front of a potentially league-altering quest for the third time in the past 21 months. In May of 2021, Russell Westbrook came here and matched Oscar Robertson‘s record of 181 triple-doubles by achieving his own.

And it was in this arena in December of 2021 that Stephen Curry made five three-pointers, bringing his career total to 2,972 points, one short of Ray Allen’s record. James has reached a milestone with this 38,325th word.

One of the best sporting records ever? That’s what he stated. It’s analogous to baseball’s all-time home run record. It’s the sort of record you never expect to see surpassed. Some people, like Hank Aaron, have it for a very long time.

When you reach the peak and look down and see Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, you realize that you, too, can reach such heights. As a sportsperson, it’s a lot of fun. Seeing those dudes go after it was exciting to watch.”

However, Indiana was the team that found itself in a late-game chase situation. Buddy Hield missed a 17-footer at the buzzer on a night where Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 24 points, newly anointed All-Star Tyrese Haliburton added 26 points and 12 assists in his first game in three weeks, and Myles Turner had 20 points and 13 rebounds after signing a two-year contract extension.

Indiana has lost four in a row, and this one has even veteran coach Rick Carlisle scratching his head. Early in the fourth quarter, Indiana’s 98-84 lead was maintained thanks to the team’s blazing fast pace.

The difference in the game’s outcome was the Lakers’ 16 trips to the free throw line in the fourth quarter compared to Indiana’s 0 trips.

Never in my 38 years in the league have I seen a foul difference and free throw difference like that (16-0 in the fourth quarter) “Carlisle stated, praising the aggressive play of the Lakers. New Yorkers will be able to see in black and white that a lot happened on the streets. Or, more likely, they’ll be able to watch it in high definition.

TIP-INS

James and Davis scored 28 points for the Lakers as a duo in the opening half, while the other seven starters scored 26. The Lakers made just 6 of 22 3-point attempts. Three consecutive wins for the Lakers in Indiana.

Nesmith had a career high in 3-pointers for the Pacers with five. Bench player T.J. McConnell scored 11 points. Indiana has dropped 11 of their last 12 games.

STAR SHOOTER

Shaquille O’Neal announced that Haliburton would be playing as a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team just before the public address announcer for the Pacers told the crowd that Haliburton would be returning to the starting lineup.

The clip was shown on the arena’s massive video board as the audience cheered and the player’s teammates congratulated him on making his first All-Star team.