After seeing their win streak come to an end in Detroit on Monday, the Lakers bounced back in Indiana on Wednesday, closing out their six-game road trip with a win over the Pacers, 137-130.
LA’s lone blemish during this stint away from home was against the Pistons as they finished 5-1.
The Lakers jumped out to a big lead early by not committing a turnover until midway through the second quarter, then rode strong shooting across the board to keep their double-digit lead nearly throughout.
Indiana had a great tanking effort by making a spirited late comeback, but all it did was make the final score look closer than the game ever was.
LA shot 56.2% from the field and 39.1% from the 3-point line while also tallying 29 assists.
It was the Jake LaRavia game to start as he racked up two steals and a dunk early. Luka Dončić drained two 3-pointers and had eight points. All five starters for LA scored to go up 10 early before former Laker Jay Huff hit two straight triples for Indiana.
At the 7:33 mark, the Lakers were up six.
Luka entered double figures with 10 points after converting on a pair of free throws. LeBron James threw down an emphatic dunk over Huff, extending LA’s lead to eight.
The team continued to keep their foot on the gas with Luke Kennard coming in and knocking down two triples, while Jarred Vanderbilt also drained a 3-pointer.
A major positive for Los Angeles was zero turnovers in the quarter. Luka continued to dominate, ending the period with 21 points to help the Lakers to a 17-point lead.
The second period began with LeBron converting on a layup. Pascal Siakam responded with a layup on the other end. Jaxson Hayes scored two buckets in a row with the help of LeBron, who was up to five assists in the half with his nine points.
At the 5:29 mark, Los Angeles was up by 22.
Indiana then surged with a 10-2 scoring run, featuring triples from Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard, that cut the deficit to 16. The Lakers started turning the ball over, giving up three after playing a clean game for most of the half.
LA stopped the run by scoring four in a row.
Most of the rest of the half involved free throws for both teams, minus a dunk from Siakam and a layup from LeBron. At halftime, the Lakers were up by 16.
The third period began with Austin Reaves knocking down a 3-pointer for LA. Huff responded with a dunk on the other end.
Hayes then scored seven in a row. He was playing well as the Pacers struggled to stop him in the third. The lead extended to 23 for Los Angeles.
Reaves and LaRavia were having an excellent defensive game, combining for six steals. The lead had extended to as much as 29 before Indiana’s 12-4 run.
At the end of the third, LA was up by 20. They ended the quarter with Luka draining a triple and throwing up a lob to Maxi Kleber for a dunk.
The final frame started with T.J. McConnell converting on a jumper. He scored again, pushing his point total to 17. Bronny James threw down a dunk that had the crowd dazzled.
An 8-2 run from Indiana made it a 16-point deficit. Siakam was ejected with 5:08 left in the game. The Pacers were putting together a commendable comeback, chipping away at the deficit.
With 1:29 left, it was a 10-point lead for LA.
Reaves converted on a jumper to add some cushion on the lead. Indiana then scored five in a row, making it a seven-point deficit. LeBron converted on a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left.
Walker drained a triple with 28 seconds left, making it a six-point lead for Los Angeles. Luka was fouled and converted on both free throws, sealing the win.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 43 points, five rebounds and seven assists. LeBron notched 21 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Reaves had 25 points with eight assists and two steals.
Hayes had 21 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks. Kennard logged eight points off the bench. LaRavia ended with six points, five rebounds and four steals. Kleber grabbed four rebounds and had two steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
The future of Indiana professional basketball was in Gainbridge Wednesday night, though neither of them took the court.
