The Lakers (38-32) are back in action Sunday night when they host the Indiana Pacers (40-31) in a rematch of the in-season tournament championship game in December. Game tips at 7:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV.
Below are three things to know before the match.
RUSSELL’S FILE
With his first three-pointer against the 76ers on Friday night, D’Angelo Russell became the Lakers’ record holder for most three-pointers in a single season. This happened after a beautiful jump pass from LeBron that put the ball right into D-Lo’s shooting pocket, then Russell finished the job with one of his patented quick release jumpers as the defense s was pressing on him to contest the shot.
Russell surpassed fellow left-hander Nick Van Exel who made 183 threes on 35.8% shooting in his 2nd NBA campaign (7th in the NBA that year), during the 1994-95 season. Among players in the top 15 that season, Van Exel’s percentage ranked 14th, albeit on more difficult looks due to the off-the-dribble nature of many of his looks.
For comparison, D-Lo’s 187 threes currently ranks 15th in the NBA this year, but his 42.3% accuracy ranks 2nd among those in the top 15 brands. This is Russell’s best season in three-point shooting percentage of his career, nearly three percentage points higher than his second-best mark, achieved last season during his combined streaks between the Wolves and the Lakers.
Additionally, Russell was excellent on both catch-and-shoot triples and those of the more difficult pull-up variety, shooting 44.5% on the former and 38.6% on the latter, making the defenses pay off, whether he creates his buckets or not. or if it is prepared for them by a teammate. But where Russell absolutely destroys defenses is when he stays open, making 43.5% of his “open” attempts and 45.2% of his “wide open” attempts, according to NBA tracking data .
Being able to make the defense pay to this degree is not only a great driver of the Lakers’ offense this season, but it has allowed them to hold a franchise record.
RUI’S HOT SHOT
While one might expect Russell to shoot the ball as well as he does, the accuracy shown by Rui Hachimura might be a little more surprising. Simply put, Rui has been one of the best shooters on the Lakers this season – and anywhere – and has really been on a tear lately, leading to what is arguably the best shooting season of his career .
For the season, Rui made 52.8% of his field goal attempts, the first time in his career that he crossed the 50% threshold. And beyond the arc, the results are almost as impressive. Rui has made 41.1% of his threes so far this year, the second-highest percentage of his career (he shot 44.7% in the 2021-22 season in Washington). That said, the number of triples Rui has made and completed has already surpassed this season, and his 74 triples made this season already mark a career high for a campaign with 12 games remaining.
Although his numbers throughout the season have been fantastic, he has been even better as of late. Over his last five games, Rui is shooting 62.7% from the field, including 46.7% from behind the arc. Rui also gets those buckets in all kinds of ways, working as a cutter along the baseline, running the floor in transition, spotting up behind the arc, flashing in mid-range jumpers, and scoring in isolation out of the bottom and the middle. -job.
He shows a complete offensive package and it shows in his production – he’s averaging 16.0 points per game over this stretch, but going back even further, he’s at 16.7 points per game over his last 15 appearances. This type of reliability has given the Lakers’ starting lineup a big boost and allowed them to pose major problems for other starters due to the amount of athleticism and shooting along their front line.
SOMETHING TO PLAY
It is well understood that the Lakers are in the midst of a playoff push, doing their best to get out of the 9th seed and into one of the 8th or 7th seeds where they would have two chances to win a single play-in. game that would propel them into the playoffs. And, as of late, it has been easy to see the focus and overall spirit with which the team has played to do its best toward that goal.
It must be said, however, that the Lakers are not the only team with something to play for. Teams from both conferences are in the midst of similar races toward their preferred playoff landing spots, and this latest stretch of games represents “time to go” for more teams than the Lakers. Look around the league and you can easily find a dozen more teams trying to lock in the seeding they currently have, fend off a team nipping at their heels, or push for a slot or two above them.
There’s no better example than tonight’s opponent, the Pacers. Indiana currently holds the 6th seed in the East, but is only 1.5 games ahead of the Heat in 7th and just 2.5 games behind the Knicks in 4th. And while climbing that high may be too much to ask for this late in the season, the chance to gain home-court advantage in the first round is the type of carrot the Pacers will surely chase while doing their best to s ensure that the Heat does not follow. take them down from behind and push them into the play-in in the process.
Needless to say, beyond all the X’s and Os that will matter when the Lakers take on the Pacers – and there’s a lot to deal with with Tyrese Haliburton leading their high-octane offense – the The most important aspect of these remaining dozen games will be the amount of effort, focus and spirit with which the team plays, especially compared to its opponent. Because these teams also have something they’re looking for and the Lakers must not only match the heightened level of urgency their opponents are sure to bring, but do their best to exceed it.
