In a match between two formidable attacks, the LA Lakers survived 150-145 to achieve their biggest scoring night in 37 years.
Four Lakers players scored at least 25 points in what was the team’s best scoring game of the season, led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Having made an effective 15 of 21 shots from the field, Davis led the way with 36 points and 16 rebounds. In the closing minute, Austin Reaves added five free throws to help seal the victory, and James and Spencer Dinwiddie both finished with 26 points.
In addition to becoming the first Lakers teammates to accomplish the feat since 1971, these four players became the first four teammates to score 25 points or more in a span of more than three years, according to the NBA.
Before Los Angeles’ offensive outburst in the second and third quarters alone saw the club score 86 points, Indiana had a six-point advantage after the first quarter.
Post-game, James stated, “Offensively, we were very sharp.” “The first quarter and half saw a few turnovers, but the second half saw us clean up our play.”
While the Pacers’ late-quarter comeback attempt to win the game proved unsuccessful, all five of their starters and eight players overall scored in double digits. Indiana presently has the second-highest offensive rating in the league and has one of the greatest offenses in the conference this season.
James added, “We know how high-powered an offense they are because we played (the Pacers) in the (In-Season Tournament) championship.” No matter how much they fall or how high they rise, they will never give up, therefore it’s a fantastic victory for us.
Even though the game was free-scoring, Davis bemoaned his team’s defensive effort.
Following the game, Davis remarked, “It was terrible defensively; we let them score 145.”
They made a few shots in the last minutes, but as you saw tonight, we are capable of attacking, too. But, we must play defense, particularly against a club that is struggling. A win is a win at this stage of the season, however we don’t have to give them life. We accept it, but we must also draw lessons from it.
After All-Star Tyrese Haliburton hit two triples in the last 30 seconds of the game, the Pacers rallied from a 19-point deficit to narrow the deficit to just three points, nearly making the Lakers pay for their flimsy defense.
Although Indiana’s late surge proved to be insufficient, head coach Rick Carlisle expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“Our guys don’t do that, but sometimes it’s easy to drop your head and just say, ‘Hey, it’s not our night,’ when you have difficult challenges,” he added. In the second half, our second unit engaged in combat. When the first unit returned during the final five minutes, they were determined to stay in the game. You have to perform flawlessly at one point, and it was going to be really challenging.
The difference in the number of foul calls between the two teams did not please Carlisle either.
There were just some obstacles that could not be surmounted. One is a disparity of 27 free throws, and the other is a discrepancy of 17 fouls, the speaker stated.
The Pacers fell to 40-32, which is now good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Mid-season trade addition Pascal Siakam led the team in scoring with 36 points and 12 rebounds, while Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard added 20 and 15 points, respectively.
In the meanwhile, the Purple and Gold claim their third straight victory to improve to 39-32, claim the ninth seed in the Western Conference, and secure a berth in the playoffs Play-In Tournament. Now that the season is coming to an end, the Lakers will be going on a six-game road trip with the goal of increasing their seeding and guaranteeing an automatic playoff place.
