The Los Angeles Lakers were white hot in the first quarter and led by as many as 12 points but they couldn’t hold off the Indiana Pacers, who came away with a 110-100 victory to snap a two-game losing streak. By dropping the opener of their four-game road trip, the Lakers are on a three-game skid.
Much like they have for the past week or so, the Lakers relied on an early dose of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle. The two dominated in the paint, sparking the team to a first-quarter lead. Kyle Kuzma similarly got off to a hot start, doing some of his damage from behind the arc.
The Lakers made 16 of 24 field-goal attempts in the first quarter. Their lead wilted away in the second, however, as Indiana steadily chipped away.
Their efforts were aided by the Lakers going through a three-minute scoring drought, which was ultimately snapped by a 6-0 run.
The Lakers held a 49-47 lead at halftime, with Kuzma, Lopez and Randle combining for 42 points. Hot as L.A. was in the first quarter, the Pacers returned the favor to start the third, capitalizing on Lakers turnovers.
Indiana made 12 of their first 14 attempts to push out to a 85-74 lead, their largest to that point. It forced Lakers head coach Luke Walton to call a timeout and greet his players with a perplexed look.
Despite everything going in the Pacers’ favor during the third quarter, the Lakers at least were within striking distance (12 points) heading into the fourth. The Lakers snapped an 8-0 Pacers’ run with a 7-0 spurt of their own to cut the deficit to nine points.
A 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that rimmed out was followed by Lance Stephenson connecting from deep, with the six-point swing all but dooming the Lakers.
Myles Turner led the Pacers with 21 points, to go along with seven rebounds. Victor Oladipo had 20 points, and Thaddeus Young scored 18 on an efficient 9-for-12 shooting.
Kuzma finished with a game-high 27 points. Lopez was second on the Lakers with 23 points, and Randle had 21.
