Game Preview: Pacers at Lakers

The Pacers hope their recent road dominance carries over to L.A., where Indiana (40-31) will take on LeBron James and the Lakers (38-32) on Sunday night. It will be the first of two straight nights at Crypto.com Arena for the Blue & Gold, who are scheduled to face the Clippers on Monday.

Indiana is coming off an impressive 123-111 victory on Friday night at Golden State in which Tyrese Haliburton (26 points, 11 assists, four blocks, and three steals), Pascal Siakam (26 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists), and Myles Turner (14 points, 10 boards, and five blocks) all recorded double-doubles.

Turner was the story of the night, as his five blocks were enough for him to pass Jermaine O’Neal to become the franchise’s all-time blocks leader. Turner — who will celebrate his 28th birthday on Sunday — now has 1,248 career blocks and counting.

The Pacers have won their last five road games dating back to March 5, which all of those victories coming by double digits. Aside from Monday’s win at lottery-bound Detroit, all of those victories have come against teams well above .500, including wins at Dallas, Orlando, and Oklahoma City.

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Sunday’s game will technically be the first regular-season meeting between the Pacers and Lakers, but the two teams did play earlier this season in a high-stakes game — the Championship of the inaugural In-Season Tournament on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. The Lakers prevailed in that contest, but the Pacers are very different team now, having made multiple significant trades in the months since the In-Season Tournament.

Despite capturing the NBA Cup, the Lakers have been fighting most of the season just to secure a spot in the Play-In Tournament in the highly competitive Western Conference. They currently sit in ninth place in the West despite winning two straight and four of their last six.

Injuries have hampered the Lakers’ depth for much of the season, forcing perennial All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to shoulder even more this season. Both players have had excellent seasons, keeping the Lakers in playoff contention. The 39-year-old James continues to defy Father Time, averaging 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8 assists in his 20th season. The 6-10 Davis, meanwhile is averaging 24.4 points and ranks third in the league in rebounding (12.4 per game) and fourth in blocks (2.4 per contest).

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner

Lakers: G – D’Angelo Russell, G – Austin Reaves, F – LeBron James, F – Rui Hachimura, C -Anthony Davis

Pacers: Obi Toppin – questionable (left ankle sprain), Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)

Lakers: Anthony Davis – probable (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy), LeBron James – questionable (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy), Colin Castleton – out (right wrist fracture), Jalen Hood-Schifino – out (back disc surgery), Jarred Vanderbilt – out (right mid-foot sprain), Gabe Vincent – out (left knee surgery), Christian Wood – out (left knee surgery)

Dec. 9, 2023: The Pacers’ magical run in the inaugural In-Season Tournament came to an end with a 123-109 loss to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Championship game in Las Vegas.

Davis was dominant, tallying 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks while going 16-for-24 from the field and 9-for-13 from the free throw line to lead the Lakers to victory. James added 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Tyrese Haliburton finished with a double-double in the loss, tallying 20 points and 11 assists. Second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points off the bench in the loss, going 5-for-11 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

“We’re sick, frustrated,” Haliburton said after the loss. “We just got outplayed tonight from the start of the game to the end of the game. Just didn’t do the job on loose balls, didn’t rebound, didn’t get enough stops when needed. They just outplayed us, and it’s frustrating.”

While it ended in disappointing fashion, it was still a special run for the Pacers and especially Haliburton. The 23-year-old guard averaged 26.7 points, 13.3 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range. He received votes for In-Season Tournament MVP even though the Pacers finished as the runner-up.

“Obviously, Tyrese Haliburton is now a name that everyone knows,” Carlisle said. “He’s going to be in the conversation for a lot of things from All-Star to All-NBA to MVP based on not just this tournament, but what he’s been doing every single game this year.”

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

Tickets

After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>