The Los Angeles Lakers lost 111-104 to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in a game that followed an all-too-familiar scenario.
L.A. started the game by dominating Indiana in the first quarter. The Lakers outscored the Pacers 32-23, going 5-for-11 (45.5%) from downtown while allowing the visitors to shoot just 36.4% from the field.
Then, the clash turned into a close contest before Indiana took off in the fourth quarter. Even though LeBron James didn’t miss a second of action in the final period, the Lakers only scored 24 points while the Pacers dropped 35, making 58.3% of their shot attempts (14-for-24).
“They got red hot and we couldn’t rebound the ball and they hit some three’s that separated the game,” head coach Frank Vogel said after the game.
“We had some possessions where we didn’t move the ball well enough, attack the paint well enough. I’ll go back and look at the tape and see where things really went wrong but it wasn’t enough in the fourth.”
The Lakers have now lost eight of the 15 games in which they led by 11+ points. Vogel admitted to disappointment pervading the Lakers locker room after the defeat but reiterated L.A. hasn’t lost faith in turning things around this season.
“Very frustrating but it’s a long season and we believe in our group,” the head coach said. “This is definitely a disappointing loss. Indiana is a team that is sub .500 that on our home court, we feel like we should win. You have to win the games you feel like you should win. Disappointing loss.”
Vogel also added every loss makes him feel the same way.
“You pour your heart and soul into it. You prepare your team, and you go to battle,” he said. “You lose the first or second game of the year [or] you lose this one, still a loss.”
Vogel’s future uncertain amid Lakers’ most recent poor run
It’s still unknown how the loss to the Pacers will impact Vogel’s job security. The head coach reportedly came close to being fired after the shocking loss to the Nuggets on Sunday.
The win over the Utah Jazz that followed seemed to have alleviated some of the pressure Vogel was facing. But considering L.A. has now gone 1-4 since the Memphis Grizzlies snapped its four-game winning streak, the 48-year-old’s future could be in peril again.
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