Los Angeles Lakers (47-26) beat Indiana Pacers (16-57) 137-130 on the road on Wednesday, March 25 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 267 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 45-28 and a 17-point lead after one. The Pacers cut into the deficit with a 31-30 second quarter, though the Lakers still led by 16 at halftime.
The Lakers won the third 30-26 to create some separation, taking a 20-point lead into the fourth. The Pacers took the fourth 45-32; the Lakers held on for a 137-130 regulation win.
What decided it
The Lakers made 31.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 20.9 for the Pacers. The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.8% of possessions compared with 16.5% for the Pacers. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Pacers did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 65.1% against 61.2%. The Lakers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 110 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 125.1 points per 100 possessions to 118.7 for the Pacers.
The Pacers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 49-19.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 43 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast on 15-30 shooting. His Game Score of 28.7 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Andrew Nembhard (14 pts, 2 reb, 19 ast) and Jaxson Hayes (21 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Lakers about a 78% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 3-0.
The Lakers are now 47-26, and the Pacers are 16-57. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.