Game Preview: Pacers vs Lakers
Preview of Wednesday's game at Chicago. The Pacers and Lakers are set to meet again in Indianapolis, five days after their last game in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 150-145 in an offensive shootout, marking their second consecutive 2-0 against the Pacers this season. Despite scoring 145 points in their last meeting, the Pacers were unable to slow down the Lakers. Free throws were a significant issue, with the Lakers scoring 38-for-43 (88.4), while the Pacers only managed to manage a score of 9.3%. The Pacers are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight games remaining. The top six teams in the final standings automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the teams that finish seventh through 10th must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff berths.
Published : a month ago by Indiana Pacers in Sports
Five days after squaring off in Los Angeles, the Pacers (41-33) and Lakers (41-32) will meet once more on Friday night in Indianapolis. The Lakers prevailed 150-145 in an offensive shootout on Sunday in L.A. and are now 2-0 against the Blue & Gold this season, including their 123-109 win over the Pacers in the inaugural In-Season Tournament Championship game on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
They had plenty of offensive firepower in their last meeting, scoring 145 points, but couldn't slow down the Lakers on the other end. Free throws were a major issue, as the Lakers outscored Indiana by 29 points from the charity stripe, going 38-for-43 (88.4), while the Pacers were just 9-for-16 (56.3 percent). Keeping the Lakers off the foul line while be a big focus on Friday, although that's easier said than done against a team that features James and Davis.
The Pacers will be back at home after their last long road trip of the season, a five-game jaunt that started in Detroit and ended in Chicago but also featured three games on the West Coast. It was a good trip overall, with the Blue & Gold going 3-2, but had a disappointing finish with a 125-99 loss to the Bulls. The Pacers fell behind 64-43 by halftime and couldn't recover.
Indiana remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight games remaining in the regular season, but is just a game up on Miami. Every game will matter down the stretch, as the top six teams in the final standings automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the teams that finish seventh through 10th must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff berths.
The Lakers enter Friday night with a five-game win streak, including back-to-back victories on Tuesday and Wednesday over Milwaukee and Memphis. James missed Tuesday's game against the Bucks, but Davis stood up in a big way in his absence, tallying 34 points and 23 rebounds and logging 52 minutes in a double-overtime victory. Davis then got the night off on Wednesday, with James recording a triple-double with 23 points, 14 boards, and 12 assists in a win over the Grizzlies.
The Pacers led by double digits at one point in the first quarter, but were outscored by 23 over the next two frames and trailed by 19 entering the fourth. They clawed their way back within four midway through the final frame, but ultimately ran out of gas.
Eight Pacers reached double figures in the loss, with Siakam leading the way with 36 points on 16-of-29 shooting and 12 rebounds. 27 of Siakam's points came in the second half, including 19 in the third quarter. Myles Turner finished with 20 points and T.J. McConnell tallied 17 points and seven assists off the bench.
Anthony Davis matched Siakam with 36 points for the Lakers on 15-of-21 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds, LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists, while Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points and five assists), and Austin Reaves (25 points, five boards, and eight assists) also had big nights.
Topics: Basketball, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers