The Lakers (46-26) aim to quickly get back on the winning column as they conclude their six-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers (16-56) on Wednesday.
Los Angeles looks to sweep the season series for the second straight year in a row.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana Pacers
When: 4 p.m. PT, Mar 25
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers winning streak finally came to an end on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. It was a bummer, but one that was bound to happen. After
all, all good things come to an end and there’s always that next opportunity for them to build another streak. That can start as early as Wednesday’s game against the Pacers.
Now with a record of 23-14 in road games this season, the Lakers will close their current road trip against a Pacers team that has lost nine out of its last 10 games. Indiana is actually coming off a thrilling victory against the Orlando Magic — who the Lakers barely beat over the weekend — so it’s not like the Pacers are purposely losing games right now. Yes, their season is pretty much done, but it’s still too early to shut down their key players.
So on Wednesday, expect Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin to suit up. The Lakers didn’t have a problem with them in their last matchup at Crypto.com Arena because Luka Dončić went berserk. There’s a possibility that could happen again, especially since Indiana has no answer for him.
This Pacers team is statistically the worst in the league, rankingbottom five on offense and defense. Frankly speaking, losing to them is inexcusable, especially given how tight the race is now in the competitive Western Conference standings. The Lakers have to make sure that Siakam won’t be the best player on the floor on Wednesday night and guys like Jarace Walker and Nembhard don’t play extraordinarily well.
At this point, Indiana is playing with house money, so there’s no pressure on their side. It would be nice if the Lakers could take control of this from start to finish, unlike against the Pistons. In fact, most of their games in this road trip have gone down to the wire.
Hopefully though, they don’t always depend on their clutch performance to save them because, as we saw last game, it doesn’t always go their way. Let’s see if Wednesday’s game against the Pacers unfolds in a more dominant way for the purple and gold.
Notes and Updates
- Random but something worth looking out for as of late: Austin Reaves’ minutes. Over the last 10 games, AR is averaging nearly 39 minutes per game. Before getting hurt, it was a little less than that. Part of why Reaves has been playing more is because head coach JJ Redick has shortened the rotation. It’ll be interesting to see if this continues.
- Another trend worth noting is the decrease in LeBron James’s shot attempts. He hasn’t complained about it and likely won’t, but that’s also what happens when he’s playing alongside Reaves and Dončić. Still, James has the ability to impact the game in multiple ways and it’s been a joy to watch.
- For the Lakers’ injury report, Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness) and Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are questionable while Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) is doubtful.
- As for the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles recovery), Johnny Furphy (ACL recovery) and Ivica Zubac (rib fracture) are out.
- Nembhard (calf contusion), Aaron Nesmith (rankle), Siakam (knee sprain) and Toppin (injury management) are all probable.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
