Indiana Pacers overpowered by Los Angeles Lakers in In-Season Tournament Finals
LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers battled in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament game on Saturday night. It felt like a Lakers home game in T-Mobile Arena. Los Angeles is far closer to Vegas than Indianapolis, and the Lakers are the most popular NBA team on the planet.
The Pacers were used to these big stages by now. They had already won in two massive situations earlier in the week, beating Boston in the Quarterfinals and Milwaukee in the Semis. They were ready for their moments.
The title game, in part because it was against the Lakers and in part because it was the championship game, was something bigger. The Pacers would need to be sharp against a great defensive team with star players.
They scored first, with Buddy Hield drilling a three to give Indiana an early lead. But LA proved that this game was going to be difficult. LeBron James was imposing, and Anthony Davis was slashing. They raced ahead quickly thanks to their size.
Los Angeles was able to hold their advantage for much of the ensuing stretch. After six minutes, the Lakers led 20-15, and that 20 number was concerning for the Pacers. They needed to get more stops to stay in the game.
As the quarter progressed, they got some. The Lakers scored 10 points in the next five minutes as the Pacers cut into the lead slowly. Indiana's bench was going to be crucial in this game, and they were early.
After one frame, the Lakers led 34-29. They had 26 points in the paint already, something the Pacers were going to need to adjust against. Indiana's head coach, Rick Carlisle, was visually unhappy with more than one foul call in the first quarter as well. The Pacers were going to have to be better defending around the basket.
The second period opened with some back-and-forth play. T.J. McConnell was creating shots for Indiana, but the Lakers size was still too much for Indiana. The game was too slow for the blue and gold on a usual night, yet they were hanging in there.
James got going as the frame continued. He was amped and getting the crowd into the game. With 8:59 to go in the second quarter, he scored to give the Lakers a six-point lead, and he had 10 points at the time.
The Pacers took a timeout to calm the arena and regroup. But it didn't help them go on a run. Even with Anthony Davis on the bench, the Lakers were able to maintain their lead and hold an advantage.
Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers star guard, as well as Davis checked in with 6:33 to go in the second quarter and the blue and gold down by seven. That same margin remained when the blue and gold took another timeout with 5:12 to go in the half. It was tough for Indiana to cut into the lead.
Aaron Nesmith was huge for the Pacers defensively in the first half, and he gave James fits at times. In a pivotal moment with about three minutes to go before halftime, Nesmith drew an offensive foul on James, his third. The Lakers challenged the call and lost, so the King was on the bench with three fouls while LA was out of challenges for the night.
The Pacers did well to close the half strong, but they only were able to cut the Lakers lead down to five points. It was 65-60 at the break. Nesmith's 11 points led the Pacers, but they had conceded 52 points in the paint by that point, far too many.
The second half opened with a bucket from James, and he drew a foul in the process. Given how the first half went, that was just about the worst possible start for Indiana. They needed to avoid fouls and keep LeBron out of the paint as much as possible.
The Lakers went up 10 soon after, their biggest lead of the game and the first double-digit advantage for either team all night. Indiana couldn't have asked for a worse start to the second half. They needed to be better.
After a short run of good play in which the blue and gold cut the lead down to seven, they were instantly matched by the Lakers again. Indiana wasn't playing particularly well but was within striking distance, yet they couldn't make a big push.
The third quarter continued with much of the same for the next few minutes. Indiana would chip into the lead, then Los Angeles would respond. That formula wasn't going to work for the blue and gold.
Finally, after struggling to surge, the Pacers went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to five. That isn't a particularly big burst, but it was significant in this game. The Pacers kept hanging around despite the crowd chanting "Let's go Lakers" just moments before their run.
The Lakers answered with a run of their own, and they led 90-82 after three quarters. LA's points in the paint number kept climbing — it had reached 66 by that point. Haliburton led the Pacers with 15 points and nine assists through three.
The final frame began with the best Pacers run of the game. They went on a 7-2 run in 90 seconds, and it was finally a sequence where they played their style. They cut the lead down to two with 10:30 to go in the game and were pumped up.
They rode that momentum into quality play for the next few minutes, but they couldn't quite complete a comeback. At the eight-minute mark, the Lakers were up 98-94.
Mathurin was giving the Pacers consistent offense, something they needed in the fourth period, but Los Angeles' star players had answers. James and Davis are tough covers for any team. That dynamic had favored the Lakers all night.
The purple and gold used their advantages to recapture momentum. They went back up by 10 points with about four-and-a-half minutes to go, and they were cruising down the stretch. The Pacers momentum was gone. They needed another push.
They didn't get it. WIth 3:10 to go, Los Angeles went up by 16 points at 115-99. They were dominating, and the Pacers appeared to be out of answers.
Indiana had to play perfectly down the stretch if they were going to pull off a comeback. They couldn't get the stops to pull off said comeback, though, and they fell in the In-Season Tournament Finals.
The final score was 123-109. This game didn't count as a regular season game, so Indiana is still 12-8. They will resume the regular season on Monday in Detroit.
Haliburton led the way for the Pacers with 20 points and 11 assists. Mathurin equalled him with 20 points himself. The Pacers just couldn't handle the Lakers' size. LA finished with 86 points in the paint.
The Pacers In-Season Tournament run is over, but as a young, growing team, it was a great experience that ended with disappointment.
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