Pacers dig hole they can't climb out of against Luka Doncic, Lakers, spoiling starter's birthday
admin_news
INDIANAPOLIS — Luka Doncic scored 43 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 137-130 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers' loss follows a win Monday, but they have lost 17 of their last 18 games and fell to 16-57, the NBA's worst record. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games and improved to 47-26, third in the Western Conference.
LeBron James posted 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers. Guard Austin Reaves had 25 points and eight assists and center Jaxson Hayes had 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points as Indiana put eight players in double figures. Center Jay Huff had 18 points. Point guard T.J. McConnell had 17 points. Forwards Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker had 15 points each. Point guard Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and a career high 19 assists. Forward Aaron Nesmith had 14 points and guard Ben Sheppard had 13 points.
Here are three observations.
Luka Doncic runs circles around Pacers again
When the Pacers met the Lakers earlier this month in Los Angeles, Pacers coach and former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle declared before the game that Doncic was the most talented player he ever coached and as good as he's ever seen at controlling a game. Doncic responded to the praise with 44 points in a 128-117 win.
Doncic came to Indiana on Wednesday and did even more to back up Carlisle's words. The five-time All-NBA first-teamer added to his recent MVP push with a 21-point first quarter on 8-of-12 shooting including 3 of 5 from 3-point range to help stake the Lakers to a 45-28 lead at the end of the first period. He cooled down in the second but still had 28 points at halftime and scored 11 in the third to head to the fourth with 39. He knocked down key free throws down the stretch to finish with 43 on 15-of-30 shooting including 4 of 11 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 at the line.
Pacers doomed by early turnovers
At the end of Wednesday's first quarter, the Pacers were shooting 60% from the floor and 44.4% from 3-point range with nearly half their makes coming from beyond the arc. However, they were also down 17 points, because as well as they were shooting the ball, they had fewer field goal attempts than the Lakers had makes.
The Pacers made five of their first six shots, but also had five turnovers at the time which led to the Lakers 10-0 run out of the gate. They slowed the giveaway rate some after that but still finished with seven first-quarter turnovers. While they were 9 of 15 from the floor and 4 of 9 from 3-point range, the Lakers were 16 of 25 from the floor including 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc for 1.73 points per possession to the Pacers' 1.08. The Lakers scored 17 points off turnovers to the Pacers' zero in the first quarter alone.
The Lakers 45-28 lead after the first quarter dictated the terms for the rest of the game. The Pacers actually won the second quarter 31-30 and only gave the ball away twice, but the Lakers still had a 17-9 points-off-turnovers advantage at the break and had 51 field goal attempts to the Pacers' 38. The Pacers finished with 18 turnovers and the Lakers turned those into 29 points.
Lakers struggle to guard T.J. McConnell on his birthday
T.J. McConnell turned 34 on Wednesday, but after a season when he's dealt with hamstring injuries and soreness and relied on his mid-range game to make up for some lost explosion, he looked as spry as he has all year.
The Pacers veteran point guard scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and though four of his made field goals were mid-range jumpers, he also got to the rim for four layups. This followed a 13-point performance against the Magic on Monday in which he made 6 of 6 field goals.
Heading into Wednesday's game, McConnell was averaging 9.3 points per game — 19.3 points per 36 minutes — on 52.7% shooting despite getting taking just 14.4% of his field goal attempts within 3 feet of the basket. He has been nearly automatic there (71%) when he has been able to shoot at the rim and he's shooting better than 50% from 3-10 feet, 10-16 feet and from 16 feet to the 3-point line.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Lakers score, Luka Doncic, LeBron James game stats, NBA records
