Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Game Preview
Five days after squaring off in Los Angeles, the Pacers (41-33) and Lakers (41-32) will meet once more on Friday night in Indianapolis. The Lakers prevailed 150-145 in an offensive shootout on Sunday in L.A. and are now 2-0 against the Blue & Gold this season, including their 123-109 win over the Pacers in the inaugural In-Season Tournament Championship game on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
The Pacers will have revenge on their minds on Friday, when LeBron James and Anthony Davis make their lone visit of the regular season to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
They had plenty of offensive firepower in their last meeting, scoring 145 points, but couldn't slow down the Lakers on the other end. Free throws were a major issue, as the Lakers outscored Indiana by 29 points from the charity stripe, going 38-for-43 (88.4), while the Pacers were just 9-for-16 (56.3 percent). Keeping the Lakers off the foul line while be a big focus on Friday, although that's easier said than done against a team that features James and Davis.
The Pacers will be back at home after their last long road trip of the season, a five-game jaunt that started in Detroit and ended in Chicago but also featured three games on the West Coast. It was a good trip overall, with the Blue & Gold going 3-2, but had a disappointing finish with a 125-99 loss to the Bulls. The Pacers fell behind 64-43 by halftime and couldn't recover.
Indiana remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight games remaining in the regular season, but is just a game up on Miami. Every game will matter down the stretch, as the top six teams in the final standings automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the teams that finish seventh through 10th must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff berths.
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The Lakers enter Friday night with a five-game win streak, including back-to-back victories on Tuesday and Wednesday over Milwaukee and Memphis. James missed Tuesday's game against the Bucks, but Davis stood up in a big way in his absence, tallying 34 points and 23 rebounds and logging 52 minutes in a double-overtime victory. Davis then got the night off on Wednesday, with James recording a triple-double with 23 points, 14 boards, and 12 assists in a win over the Grizzlies.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Andrew Nembhard, F - Aaron Nesmith, F - Pascal Siakam, C - Myles Turner
Lakers: G - D'Angelo Russell, G - Austin Reaves, F - LeBron James, F - Rui Hachimura, C - Anthony Davis
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin - out (right shoulder labral tear)
Lakers: Anthony Davis - questionable (left knee hyperextension), LeBron James - questionable (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy), Jalen Hood-Schifino - out (lumbar disc surgery), Jarred Vanderbilt - out (right mid-foot sprain), Gabe Vincent - out (left knee surgery), Christian Wood - out (left knee surgery)
Last Meeting
March 24, 2024: The Lakers outlasted Indiana in a 150-145 shootout in Los Angeles. Pascal Siakam scored a Pacers career-high 36 points and the Blue & Gold went 18-for-36 from 3-point range, but four Lakers scored 25 or more points as L.A. snapped Indiana's five-game road winning streak.
The Pacers led by double digits at one point in the first quarter, but were outscored by 23 over the next two frames and trailed by 19 entering the fourth. They clawed their way back within four midway through the final frame, but ultimately ran out of gas.
Eight Pacers reached double figures in the loss, with Siakam leading the way with 36 points on 16-of-29 shooting and 12 rebounds. 27 of Siakam's points came in the second half, including 19 in the third quarter. Myles Turner finished with 20 points and T.J. McConnell tallied 17 points and seven assists off the bench.
Anthony Davis matched Siakam with 36 points for the Lakers on 15-of-21 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds, LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists, while Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points and five assists), and Austin Reaves (25 points, five boards, and eight assists) also had big nights.
Noteworthy
- The Lakers have won three straight games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana's last home win over the Lakers was on Dec. 17, 2019.
- With a win on Friday, the Lakers would sweep the season series with the Pacers for the second time in the last four seasons.
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 937 career wins. His next victory will tie him with the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA's all-time wins list.
- Tyrese Haliburton has 674 assists on the season and needs 12 to pass Don Buse (685 assists in 1976-77) for second place in the franchise's single-season record book. Mark Jackson holds the franchise record with 713 assists in 1997-98.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>