Anthony Davis (36 PTS, 16 REB) and LeBron James (36 PTS, 10 AST) did everything in the Lakers 150-145 win over the Pacers.
The Los Angeles Lakers walked out of a dogfight against the Indiana Pacers with a 150-145 win in one of the highest-scoring games of the season. Fans loved how Anthony Davis dominated the contest.
Spencer Dinwiddie received a ton of praise after his 25-point outing.
Fans observed Dinwiddie’s crucial contributions on both ends of the floor.
Fans are extremely happy with having a weapon like Rui Hachimura on the roster.
Some fans were critical of the team, including the poor attitude the franchise has had towards the regular season this year.
Some fans think the Lakers were lucky to have left this contest with a win.
The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis, arguably their best player all season long. He put up 36 points and 16 rebounds in a game where defense was scarce. LeBron James contributed positively with 26 points and 10 assists, along with Spencer Dinwiddie also scoring 26 points. Austin Reaves had 25 points in this all-around team win.
The Pacers stayed competitive courtesy of Pascal Siakam’s 36-point performance. Myles Turner had 20 points as well with five other Pacers scoring in double-digits as well. Tyrese Haliburton had a rough night, scoring only six points through the first 47 minutes of the game before adding six late points in their failed comeback to end the night with 12 points and 10 assists.
The Lakers Are Keeping Up In The Race For No. 8
The No. 8 seed is pivotal for the Lakers to not be in a position to win consecutive single-elimination Play-In games. The last two times they made the Play-In, they did so as the No. 7 seed and maximized their positioning by winning that one game. Qualifying at No. 9 will make things problematic for them, also because the Denver Nuggets are the current No. 1 seed.
The Lakers do not stand a chance in a 1-8 matchup against the Nuggets, so it’s in their best interest to get to No. 8 and then beat one of the Mavericks, Kings, or Suns to qualify as the No. 7 seed and possibly matchup with the Thunder or Timberwolves. this should be the primary goal for the franchise going forward.
The Lakers are 2.5 games behind the Mavericks and Kings, two teams that have to still play each other two more times. The Suns have one of the hardest remaining schedules and are only three games ahead of the Lakers in the No. 6 seed. The Lakers are within striking distance of climbing up if one of these three teams collapses down the stretch.