Lakers-Pacers Postgame Takeaways

by Jacob Romano

NBAE via Getty Images

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 150-145, improving their record to 39-32.

The Lakers have now established a three-game winning streak but remain two games behind the Mavericks and Kings for the 8th seed. 

The Lakers' offensive performance was historic, as their 150 points marked their highest point total in a game since 1987.

The entire starting lineup did well, as Spencer Dinwiddie, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis all had 20+ point games. 

AD led the pack with 36 points off of 71% shooting from the field, as well as 16 rebounds. LeBron also added a solid 26 and 10, marking two double-doubles on the night for LA's superstars. 

Spencer Dinwiddie got his second start of the season as a Laker, as D'Angelo Russell missed the game due to a non-Covid illness.

The increase in minutes led to his first breakout performance of the season, as he scored 26 points while shooting 8-11 from the field. 

Austin Reaves also played a big role, scoring 25/8/5, including an 11-12 effort from the free-throw line. He remained clutch late in the game, as his six free throws in the final minute helped the Lakers maintain their lead. 

Despite such an outstanding offensive performance, the Lakers struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball. On most nights, allowing 145 points to the opposing team should lead to a loss by a relatively wide margin. 

While the Lakers had a comfortable lead for most of the game, the fourth quarter was when things started to get out of hand defensively. The Lakers went into the fourth with a 116-99 lead, but the Pacers proceeded to put up 46 points in the quarter to cut the lead down to just five points. 

The Pacers' big men both had great games. Pascal Siakam scored 36/8/12 off of 55% shooting, and Myles Turner scored 20 points, 12 of which came from downtown. 

It was apparent early on that the absence of D'Angelo Russell was a big hit to the Lakers defensively, as they had one less body that could help defend the perimeter.

Haliburton gave the backcourt issues at the end of the game, and TJ McConnell scored 17 points off the bench. 

With the NBA playoffs just 11 games away for the Lakers, fans should be encouraged that the team is playing some of its best offensive basketball at this point in the season.

Despite their struggles earlier in the year, it now appears that they just needed time to grow as a group.

However, they still lack the offensive firepower to overcome lackluster defensive performances like this come playoff time. The team is desperately missing Jarred Vanderbilt, who is expected to return before the playoffs start. 

Despite this, the Lakers came away with a win in one of the most entertaining games of the season. The team showed what they could do at their offensive peak and will hopefully continue this momentum heading into the playoffs. 

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