Sunday, March 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena
Game Overview
The Pacers hope their recent dominance on the road continues in Los Angeles, where Indiana (40-31) faces LeBron James and the Lakers (38-32) on Sunday night. This will be the first of two consecutive nights at the Crypto.com Arena for the Blue & Gold, who are scheduled to face the Clippers on Monday.
Indiana just came out of a impressive victory 123-111 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 rebounds and five blocks) all recorded double-doubles.
Turner was the story of the night, as his five blocks were enough for him to overtake 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.
The Pacers have won their last five road games dating back to March 5, and all of those wins have come by double digits. Aside from Monday’s win at lottery destination Detroit, all of those wins came against teams well above .500, including victories in 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 played earlier this season in a high-stakes game – the season-opening tournament championship on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. The Lakers triumphed in this competitionbut the Pacers are a very different team now, having made several significant trades in the months since the in-season tournament.
Despite winning the NBA Cup, the Lakers struggled for most of the season just to secure a spot in the highly competitive Western Conference’s Play-In tournament. They currently sit in ninth place in the West despite winning two in a row 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 take on even more this season. Both players had excellent seasons, keeping the Lakers in playoff contention. James, 39, continues to defy Father Time, averaging 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8 assists in his 20th season. The 6-10 Davis, meanwhile, averages 24.4 points and ranks third in the league in rebounds (12.4 per game) and fourth in blocks (2.4 per game).
Projected starters
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
Injury report
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 (rear disc surgery) , Jarred Vanderbilt – out (right midfoot sprain), Gabe Vincent – out (left knee surgery), Christian Wood – out (left knee surgery)
Last meeting
December 9, 2023: The Pacers’ magical run through the season opener ended 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, totaling 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks while shooting 16 of 24 from the field and 9 of 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. Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points off the bench in the loss, going 5 of 11 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line.
“We’re sick and frustrated,” Haliburton said after the loss. “We were dominated tonight from start to finish. We just didn’t get the job done on loose balls, we didn’t rebound and we didn’t make enough stops when it was necessary. necessary. They just dominated us, and it’s frustrating.”
Even though it ended disappointingly, 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 second.
“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 not only on this tournament, but what he’s done in every game this year.”
Outstanding
- The Pacers have won their last two road games against the Lakers, including a 116-115 victory over Andrew Nembhard. three at the buzzer last season.
- Sunday and Monday’s games in Los Angeles will be Indiana’s 13th and final straight set this season. The Pacers are 9-3 on back-to-back nights this season, but just 2-10 on second nights.
- Friday’s win was the 936th for Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, putting him ahead of Dick Motta and sitting alone in 13th place on the all-time list. Carlisle is just two wins behind the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place.
Broadcast information (TV and Radio Programs >>)
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)
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 p.m. ET. Find tickets >>
