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The Los Angeles Lakers headed to Indianapolis on Wednesday to play a hot Indiana Pacers team while in a funk. They had lost three games in a row and seven of their last 10, and they were perhaps on the verge of heading into the playoffs with negative momentum.
After a close first quarter, they outscored the Pacers 40-22 in the second quarter and went ahead by as many as 17 points. Indiana fought back late in the third quarter to make things close, and after the Lakers scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to boost their lead to 13, Indiana scored 13 unanswered points of its own to tie the game.
This one went right down to the wire. After L.A. went ahead 118-112 with 1:51 left, Andrew Nembhard scored a layup and Tyrese Haliburton scored five straight points to put the Pacers ahead.
It all set up a photo finish. Bennedict Mathurin missed a contested 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left that would've sealed things for the Pacers. Luka Doncic grabbed the rebound and advanced the ball upcourt, then attempted a runner in the lane. It missed, but LeBron James, who had played poorly through three quarters, tapped the ball into the basket just before time expired, giving Los Angeles a thrilling 120-119 victory.
The Purple and Gold still have plenty to be concerned about. They had yet another weak third quarter, and their 15 turnovers led to 25 Indiana points. The Lakers also were outscored in the paint 48-42 and in fast-break points by an 18-10 margin.
But their losing streak is over, and on Thursday evening, they will face a Chicago Bulls team that drowned them by 31 points on Saturday.
Hachimura returned to the starting lineup for the first time since he got hurt on Feb. 27. He played 28 minutes, and while he took just five shot attempts, he got his money's worth out of them. He made four of those attempts, all of which were 3-pointers, and he made back-to-back treys to give the Lakers that 118-112 lead late in the final period.
He finished with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Hayes wasn't much of a presence defensively or on the boards. In 18 minutes, he got only two rebounds and blocked one shot.
But on the other end, he contributed plenty. He made all six of his shot attempts, and he got a couple of dunks off of lob passes early in the game. That allowed him to finish the game with 13 points.
Reaves scored just two points in the first quarter, but he put himself in the microwave and put up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second quarter. He was a big reason the Lakers scored 18 unanswered points starting in the final seconds of the first quarter to take control of the game.
He finished with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, although he went just 1-of-8 from 3-point range. He also contributed five assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes.
For the fourth straight game, Doncic went over the 30-point mark. In this game, he led all scorers with 34 points, and he made 11 of his 21 shot attempts while going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Unlike in some recent games, he didn't go cold with his shooting in the second half, and he scored five quick points with just over four minutes to go to put Los Angeles ahead 112-110 after it fell behind 110-107.
Doncic also contributed seven rebounds, seven assists and one block in 38 minutes.
Through three quarters, James was 0-of-6 from the field and scored just three points. He scored eight points in quick succession early in the fourth quarter to give his team a double-digit lead, and overall, he made four of his six shot attempts in the final frame, capped by his game-winner that he got off just barely in time.
Even though he was ineffective offensively until the fourth quarter and scored just 13 points, he did help out in other ways throughout the game. He ended up with 13 rebounds and seven assists against just one turnover. He may not be fully in game shape and rhythm after missing about two weeks with a groin strain, but he can still drive his team to victory.
Finney-Smith helped prevent Indiana's frontcourt players from going off offensively. Pascal Siakam was held to 15 points, and Aaron Nesmith topped out at 13 points. Only Haliburton, who had 23 points, cracked the 20-point mark for Indiana.
The Lakers forward continued his excellent shooting by converting four of his seven shot attempts and going 3-of-5 from downtown. He ended up with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist in 31 minutes.
Vincent didn't do an excellent job defensively, but he tossed in two of his five 3-point attempts and went 2-of-6 overall to score six points, to go along with one rebound and one steal in 22 minutes.
In 16 minutes of plating time, Vanderbilt took just one shot and went scoreless, but he made a strong impact on the boards with six rebounds, and he also contributed three assists.
Goodwin went 1-of-4 from the field and had two points, two offensive rebounds and one assist in seven minutes. On one possession, he got those two offensive rebounds and attempted a put-back after each of those offensive boards, only to have both shot attempts blocked.
Knecht played a total of just 12 minutes in the Lakers' previous two games, and on Wednesday, he got onto the court for just five minutes. But while he was in the game, he hit his lone shot attempt, which was a 3-pointer, while getting one rebound.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: LeBron James' tip-in ends L.A.'s losing streak
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After a close first quarter, they outscored the Pacers 40-22 in the second quarter and went ahead by as many as 17 points. Indiana fought back late in the third quarter to make things close, and after the Lakers scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to boost their lead to 13, Indiana scored 13 unanswered points of its own to tie the game.
This one went right down to the wire. After L.A. went ahead 118-112 with 1:51 left, Andrew Nembhard scored a layup and Tyrese Haliburton scored five straight points to put the Pacers ahead.
It all set up a photo finish. Bennedict Mathurin missed a contested 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left that would've sealed things for the Pacers. Luka Doncic grabbed the rebound and advanced the ball upcourt, then attempted a runner in the lane. It missed, but LeBron James, who had played poorly through three quarters, tapped the ball into the basket just before time expired, giving Los Angeles a thrilling 120-119 victory.
The Purple and Gold still have plenty to be concerned about. They had yet another weak third quarter, and their 15 turnovers led to 25 Indiana points. The Lakers also were outscored in the paint 48-42 and in fast-break points by an 18-10 margin.
But their losing streak is over, and on Thursday evening, they will face a Chicago Bulls team that drowned them by 31 points on Saturday.
Rui Hachimura: B
Hachimura returned to the starting lineup for the first time since he got hurt on Feb. 27. He played 28 minutes, and while he took just five shot attempts, he got his money's worth out of them. He made four of those attempts, all of which were 3-pointers, and he made back-to-back treys to give the Lakers that 118-112 lead late in the final period.
He finished with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Jaxson Hayes: B-minus
Hayes wasn't much of a presence defensively or on the boards. In 18 minutes, he got only two rebounds and blocked one shot.
But on the other end, he contributed plenty. He made all six of his shot attempts, and he got a couple of dunks off of lob passes early in the game. That allowed him to finish the game with 13 points.
Austin Reaves: A-minus
Reaves scored just two points in the first quarter, but he put himself in the microwave and put up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second quarter. He was a big reason the Lakers scored 18 unanswered points starting in the final seconds of the first quarter to take control of the game.
He finished with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, although he went just 1-of-8 from 3-point range. He also contributed five assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes.
Luka Doncic: A
For the fourth straight game, Doncic went over the 30-point mark. In this game, he led all scorers with 34 points, and he made 11 of his 21 shot attempts while going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Unlike in some recent games, he didn't go cold with his shooting in the second half, and he scored five quick points with just over four minutes to go to put Los Angeles ahead 112-110 after it fell behind 110-107.
Doncic also contributed seven rebounds, seven assists and one block in 38 minutes.
LeBron James: B-minus
Through three quarters, James was 0-of-6 from the field and scored just three points. He scored eight points in quick succession early in the fourth quarter to give his team a double-digit lead, and overall, he made four of his six shot attempts in the final frame, capped by his game-winner that he got off just barely in time.
Even though he was ineffective offensively until the fourth quarter and scored just 13 points, he did help out in other ways throughout the game. He ended up with 13 rebounds and seven assists against just one turnover. He may not be fully in game shape and rhythm after missing about two weeks with a groin strain, but he can still drive his team to victory.
Dorian Finney-Smith: A-minus
Finney-Smith helped prevent Indiana's frontcourt players from going off offensively. Pascal Siakam was held to 15 points, and Aaron Nesmith topped out at 13 points. Only Haliburton, who had 23 points, cracked the 20-point mark for Indiana.
The Lakers forward continued his excellent shooting by converting four of his seven shot attempts and going 3-of-5 from downtown. He ended up with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist in 31 minutes.
Gabe Vincent: C-plus
Vincent didn't do an excellent job defensively, but he tossed in two of his five 3-point attempts and went 2-of-6 overall to score six points, to go along with one rebound and one steal in 22 minutes.
Jarred Vanderbilt: A-minus
In 16 minutes of plating time, Vanderbilt took just one shot and went scoreless, but he made a strong impact on the boards with six rebounds, and he also contributed three assists.
Jordan Goodwin: D
Goodwin went 1-of-4 from the field and had two points, two offensive rebounds and one assist in seven minutes. On one possession, he got those two offensive rebounds and attempted a put-back after each of those offensive boards, only to have both shot attempts blocked.
Dalton Knecht: B
Knecht played a total of just 12 minutes in the Lakers' previous two games, and on Wednesday, he got onto the court for just five minutes. But while he was in the game, he hit his lone shot attempt, which was a 3-pointer, while getting one rebound.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: LeBron James' tip-in ends L.A.'s losing streak
Continue reading...
