After dropping the first game of their four-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Indiana to take on a Pacers team that’s been playing some of its best basketball recently.
The Lakers’ schedule in March is clearly wearing on them as they look more visibly tired on the court deeper into games and thus made the Pacers a tough opponent because of how fast they get up and down the floor. Teams around the league have routinely been able to take advantage of a slower Los Angeles squad, but against Indiana they held up well in the first half.
In fact, it was the Lakers who were dictating the game with their play on both ends of the floor. However, a disastrous third quarter where the team’s defense was almost non-existent made it a tougher climb in the fourth quarter.
The game came down to the final seconds as Tyrese Haliburton’s and-1 gave the Pacers the lead. On the final possession, Luka Doncic drove deep in the lane and threw up a floater that just hung off the rim. Fortunately, LeBron James was there to tip in the miss and the Lakers walked away with a 120-119 victory.
James was having a rough offensive night against the Pacers as he couldn’t get anything to fall through the first three quarters of the game. As a result, James looked to be more aggressive in other areas like rebounding and playmaking to make up for his lack of scoring.
Heading into the fourth quarter, James’ double-digit scoring streak seemed legitimately in doubt until the King started to get going offensively. James saved his best bucket for last, though, as he found himself in the perfect spot to tip in Doncic’s miss for the win. James finished the night with 13 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Doncic was the star offensively for Los Angeles as he had his full arsenal of shots working against the Pacers. Indiana’s porous defense had no answers for Doncic who got into the lane whenever he wanted and also torched them from beyond the arc.
Like James, Doncic came up big in the fourth quarter as he went on a personal scoring run to give the Lakers the lead. Doncic led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and one block.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers don’t get much time for rest as they see the Chicago Bulls on Thursday for the second night of a back-to-back.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
