Established in place of the ailing D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie opened the hostilities against Indiana, going to place a two-handed dunk from the start. But it was the Pacers who made the biggest impression in the first quarter, with Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam who will also attack the circle. The Cameroonian completely sends two Lakers to the mat on a big poster! Anthony Davis (15 points, 8 rebounds already) however brings his team back at the end of the period (36-30).
Stuck at 3 points at 1/6 after the first quarter, LeBron James passed the second in the second quarter. In this rematch of the NBA tournament final, he combines well with Austin Reaves in the circle attack and the Lakers regain momentum. They will even pass a whopping 42 points to the Indiana defense which is starting to show signs of weakness. At halftime, the Lakers regained a short lead (72-68).
“Open doors” operation
Launched into a race after the score, the Pacers rely on Siakam, who responds with an exemplary quarter-time with 19 points (out of his team's 31) at 9/14 on shots! But the Lakers still did not encounter any resistance worthy of the name in front, and their quartet composed of Reaves, Dinwiddie, James and Davis accumulated 39 of the 44 points scored in the period. It's still open doors at the Crypto.com Arena and Los Angeles has now widened a significant gap (116-99).
Indiana fought back again in the last quarter, going 24-11 to blow the Lakers' necks to -3 with five minutes to go. James and Davis take care of hitting the important shots to maintain a small lead. But these devilish Pacers definitely don't want to give up, like Haliburton who hits two 3-pointers in the final seconds. But the slim hope of victory fades for Indiana with Cam Reddish who bites the leather and folds the affair in the last ten seconds (150-145).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Everything for the attack! With 150 points scored, including two quarters finished above 40 units, the Lakers went all out in attack and quite simply signed their best mark of the season in attack (and the best total since 1987, the Showtime era). It must be said that with a quartet of players with more than 25 points, a first since February 2021, the Lakers were aggressive offensively all evening.
– Disgruntled Pacers. Even though it is now common knowledge that they are often invited to take justice into their own hands on the penalty line, the difference in free throws (43 to 16) made Rick Carlisle, Indiana's veteran coach, react. : “Our guys fought well all game but there were some things that were impossible to overcome. Like the difference of 27 shots between the two teams. Or the difference of 17 faults. I won't say any more about that…”
– Spencer Dinwiddie continues to fit in. Without D'Angelo Russell sick, Dinwiddie had the opportunity to play more and the veteran guard took charge perfectly, having his best game in his new colors at 26 points and 5 assists, all at an excellent 8/11 in the shots and 8/9 on throws.
– Dominant Anthony Davis. With 36 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Davis was once again monstrous for the Lakers in the paint. In action from the first quarter with his 15 points and 8 rebounds, Davis was also very valuable at the end of the match, when Indy came back close.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
