Los Angeles Lakers (38-25) beat Indiana Pacers (15-48) 128-117 at home on Friday, March 6, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 35-27 and a 8-point lead after one. The Lakers kept the pressure on with a 29-24 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Lakers won the third 35-29 to create some separation, taking a 19-point lead into the fourth. The Pacers took the fourth 37-29; the Lakers held on for a 128-117 regulation win.
What decided it
The Lakers got more from their shots, finishing at 62.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51% for the Pacers. The Lakers made 24.7 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 17.3 for the Pacers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Pacers did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 6.8 against 11.9. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 125.1 points per 100 possessions to 114.3 for the Pacers.
The Pacers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 43-30.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 44 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl on 14-25 shooting. His Game Score of 38.9 led everyone. His team was +20 with him on the floor.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast on 10-20 shooting, good for a 18 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Lakers about a 86% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 2-0.
The Lakers are now 38-25, and the Pacers are 15-48. The Lakers last five before this game: L-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.