Offensive Showcase
In today’s game against the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted a high-scoring affair. Both teams surpassed 40 points in the second and third quarters, with the Pacers responding with a 46-point onslaught in the fourth quarter. Despite the Lakers ultimately winning 150-145, Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ frontcourt powerhouse, reflected, “Our defense was just too poor.”
Davis’s Assessment
Scoring 150 points, a season-high and the team’s highest single-game score in 37 years, didn’t overshadow the defensive lapses. Davis remarked, “We allowed them to score 145 points; our defense was just too poor.” He acknowledged the Pacers’ continuous perimeter shooting and emphasized the need for defensive improvement despite the Lakers’ ability to respond offensively.
Learning Opportunity
“We shouldn’t have given them any room to breathe, but at this stage of the season, a win is a win,” Davis stated. “We’ll take it, but we also need to learn from it.”
Balanced Scoring
The Lakers had five players scoring in double digits, with four players scoring 25 points or more. Davis led with 36 points, followed by LeBron James and Spencer Dinwiddie with 26 points each, and Austin Reaves with 25 points, filling the scoring gap left by the absence of D’Angelo Russell due to illness.
Pacers’ Performance
The Pacers also had eight players scoring in double digits, with Pascal Siakam leading with 36 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Myles Turner with 20 points. However, coach Rick Carlisle expressed dissatisfaction with the significant disparity in free throw attempts between the two teams.
Foul Discrepancy
The Pacers were called for 31 fouls, resulting in 43 free throw attempts for the Lakers, while the Lakers were called for 14 fouls, resulting in 16 free throw attempts for the Pacers. The 29-point difference in free throw scoring led Carlisle to comment, “I think our guys fought hard throughout the game, but some things are just insurmountable. The 27-attempt difference is one of them, and the 17-foul gap is another.” (JILICC)