The three-game winning streak is now officially one for the Los Angeles Lakers following Sunday's 150-145 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena.
Offensive explosions have become the Lakers' hallmark. the best This is the highest point total since the 1986-87 season, which ended in a championship.
Not only did the Purple & Gold improve to 39-32 with three straight wins, but they also got their first win of the season without D'Angelo Russell on the court. The guard was out with an illness other than COVID-19, but that seemed to be an issue as the team was sick. Before The 2023-24 season without him is 0 wins and 5 losses.
that's all.
Indiana had no answer for Anthony Davis, who had 36 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. It was far from a one-man show, as LeBron James recorded a double-double with 26 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points, 5 assists on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor) and Austin Reeves (25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds) also filled in for the absent Russell.
The combined effort helped Los Angeles overcome Pascal Siakam's stellar performance (36 points, 12 rebounds), which earned him a lot of praise from social media.
The final score was closer than the Lakers had hoped, considering they entered the fourth quarter with a 116-99 advantage. They scored a combined 86 points in the second and third quarters and were dominant until the middle, but they allowed the Pacers to come back within striking distance.
Still, James and Davis each made important shots in the final minute, with Reeves hitting six free throws in the final minute. Every shot from the charity stripe proved to be crucial, as Tyrese Haliburton's 3-pointer cut the deficit to three points with 30 seconds left before the Lakers put the finishing touches on their victory.
And what suddenly made the Western Conference Play-in Tournament game interesting was an important win by the red-hot Houston Rockets.
Houston is just one game behind the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors, but still 3.5 games behind the ninth-seeded Lakers thanks to their three-game winning streak.
Sunday's efforts were mostly defensive options, but there was still enough star power and offensive fireworks on the floor to maintain momentum heading into Tuesday's road showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Ta.
