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The LA Lakers, even with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook in the lineup, blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead against the Indiana Pacers. LA collapsed down the stretch to a team without an All-Star.
Here’s what James had to say to the media after the ugly loss:
“We just gotta finish the game. Everything has to go wrong in order for you to lose a game like that and everything went wrong. We tip our hat off to them. They kept fighting and they kept pushing. They took the game from us and you give them credit.”
The LA Lakers had a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter. They slowly built it to what was seemingly an insurmountable lead in the last period.
Behind Russell Westbrook’s no-look pass to Wenyen Gabriel that resulted in a wide-open dunk, the Lakers took a commanding 101-84 lead. The Crypto.com Arena crowd was in a frenzy as they cheered the home team after the highlight play.
However, the young Indiana Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton refused to give up and slowly cut the lead. They launched a 10-0 blast midway through the fourth quarter to keep them within striking distance.
LeBron James was a big culprit in why the Lakers lost momentum. He often held the ball too long, causing the offense to stagnate. On a few occasions, he launched contested fadeaway 3-pointers with the shot clock winding down.
The LA Lakers, who had James, AD and Russ to close out the game, looked tentative. Rick Carlisle’s young squad, on the other hand, played with the poise and composure of an experienced team.
Despite his struggles, LeBron James gave the Lakers their last lead 115-113 with a floater on the left block. The Indiana Pacers completed their remarkable comeback with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from rookie Andrew Nembhard.
“King James,” upon looking at the review, quickly left the floor, knowing they let this game slip away.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers failed to get Anthony Davis going again in the fourth quarter
When LeBron James was sidelined with a groin injury, the LA Lakers almost exclusively went to Anthony Davis. They have had great success recently by going to their talented big man.
For some reason, they failed to follow the same strategy against the Indiana Pacers. Davis took only two shots and finished with three points in the fourth quarter.
Here’s what LeBron James had to say about AD’s lack of involvement in the final period:
“It’s all our responsibility, it’s definitely all our responsibility. With the way he’s been playing, you always try to figure out how to give him the ball. I have to watch the fourth quarter and see why and what was the reason him not getting the ball or him not getting shots.”
The LA Lakers' success seems to depend on how well Anthony Davis plays. LeBron and his teammates might want to keep that in mind as the season moves forward.
