In a rematch of the NBA In-Season Tournament championship, the Los Angeles Lakers once again outgunned the Indiana Pacers for a 150-145 victory Monday (PHL), staying in the hunt for a Playoff finish in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis had another monster game as he nearly had a double-double in the first quarter alone. He concluded the game with an impressive stat line of 36 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, and one block.
Another
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 25, 2024
Dunk pic.twitter.com/kl5xjDeUwx
With D'Angelo Russell sidelined, Spencer Dinwiddie seamlessly transitioned into the starting lineup and had his best game as a Laker, scoring 26 points.
Spencer Dunkwiddie pic.twitter.com/efxZyzGX7g
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 25, 2024
LeBron James, meanwhile, had a slow start but picked up the pace and finished with 26 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists. Austin Reaves added 25 for the Lakers, making their the first quartet to score 25+ in one NBA game in three years. In Lakers team history, AD, Bron, Spencer, and Austin are the first quartet to score 25+ since 1971. 150 points is also the most for a Lakers game since the 1986-87 season.
The Lakers bench also stepped up significantly, contributing 22 of the team's 70 first-half points.
By the end of the game, they totaled 27 points, marking the highest point tally for the Lakers in a game this season.
Both teams scored over 30 points in four quarters, but 86 points from the Lakers in the middle quarters gave the team enough cushion.
After leading by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, the Pacers showed no quit as they made a huge 24-11 run in the final quarter to cut the deficit to just four.
But a sudden surge by the LA once again proved to be the difference as they distanced themselves from Indiana to secure the victory.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 36 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton continued his shooting slump with just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field along with his 10 assists.
While the Lakers distanced themselves from the Warriors for the ninth spot at 39-32 in the West, they are still three games back from the sixth seed.
Indiana, meanwhile, remains as the sixth-seed in the Eastern Conference at 40-32. However, the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are close by with 39-32 records.
