The Los Angeles Lakers had to defeat the Indiana Pacers on their way to winning the NBA In-Season Tournament championship at the end of 2023, so LeBron James clearly remembers a special feature that this team possesses.
“We met them at the In-Season Tournament and knew the Pacers’ attack was extremely stubborn. No matter what position they are in, leading or deeply behind, this team will never stop attacking you,” LeBron James recalled.
“So even if we are ahead, we are not allowed to be subjective. And when the final whistle blew and victory was firmly in my hands, I could truly feel secure to enjoy this result.”
After taking the initiative for most of the match, including leading the opponent by 19 points at the end of the third quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers had to work very hard to preserve the final 150-145 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates made Lakers fans excited with 3 consecutive successful 3-pointers at the end of the 4th quarter, shortening the gap to just 3 points with 21 seconds left in the match. In the fourth quarter alone, the Indiana Pacers achieved a FG rate of up to 64.3%, including 8 successful 3-pointers.
Fortunately, the home team at Crypto.com Arena was still able to control the situation with two successful free kicks from Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Reddish. Between these two free kicks was a good defensive phase to prevent the Pacers from scoring more points, ending the match with a score of 150-145.
Although the match did not go into extra time, the total points scored by the two teams was up to 295 points. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 150 points reached the highest level in the past 35 years, since the day the LA team scored 155 points against the Phoenix Suns in early 1987.
Contributing to this sublime performance were 4 different Lakers players scoring over 25 points, led by Anthony Davis’ double-double of 36 points (15-21 FG) and 16 rebounds. LeBron James has 26 points and 10 assists. Austin Reaves contributed 25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and had 11 successful free throws.
The biggest surprise in this match was Spencer Dinwiddie, owner of 26 points (8-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 8-9 FT) with 5 assists and 2 blocks. He appeared in the starting lineup to replace D’Angelo Russell, who was absent due to health concerns.
This victory helps the Los Angeles Lakers (39-32) widen the gap with the Golden State Warriors in the Western rankings, firmly building 9th place and aiming for the ability to attack the top-6 competitive group.
The Lakers hope to be able to squeeze in the middle of a three-team group that includes Dallas (41-29), Sacramento (41-29) and Phoenix (42-29). However, this will not be an easy task because Anthony Davis and his teammates have a series of 6 consecutive away matches ahead.
“We will focus on taking it one match at a time. Although we are still relatively far away from 6th place, we will aim to win each match and focus on playing according to the team’s strategy. The results will then come by themselves” , said Anthony Davis.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ series of 6 matches away from home will begin on Wednesday morning (March 27), taking turns at Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.
