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Darvin Ham’s LA Lakers survived to win 150-145 against a resilient and gritty Indiana Pacers team on Sunday. The home squad nearly let a 19-point lead slip before eking out a close decision. Pascal Siakam’s 27-point second-half explosion was the catalyst of the Pacers’ comeback, but the hosts aided their opponents with some head-shaking defense.
The Lakers looked like they would cruise to a rout when they limited the Pacers to 32 and 31 in the second and third quarters, respectively. Numerous defensive breakdowns led Indiana to storm back into the game. Indy might have pulled off a miracle had it did not run out of time.
After the game, fans ripped Darvin Ham:
Most Lakers fans blaming Ham for their struggles has all become too common. In the thrilling victory over the Pacers, LA suddenly sagged off shooters in pick-and-roll situations.
Ham must have wanted to dare the struggling Tyrese Haliburton to shoot while keeping Indiana’s gunners in check. It worked for nearly the entire game until Haliburton’s teammates started getting hot from deep.
Darvin Ham’s Lakers refused to change their coverage, allowing the Pacers to repeatedly punish them. Haliburton kept misfiring, but Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, Doug McDermott and Obi Toppin nearly pushed the visitors to an improbable win.
Ham, weirdly, didn’t call a timeout when the momentum shifted to Indiana’s way. He allowed his team to try to fight out of its funk but failed miserably. The Pacers, who looked dead to start the fourth quarter, looked revitalized and played with more energy and sense of urgency.
Rick Carlisle nearly pulled the rug under Darvin Ham on Sunday
With roughly a minute left and the Indiana Pacers trailing by nine points, Rick Carlisle employed a defensive strategy commonly used in college hoops. He asked his players to keep fouling and forcing the LA Lakers to go to the free-throw line. They wanted to retaliate by draining threes to offset the freebies.
Carlisle’s plan surprised Darvin Ham’s team. Three straight trifectas by Indiana cut the lead to 148-145 with 21 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie scored just one of two free throws to give Indy still some life. Haliburton, after hitting back-to-back triples, missed, and the Pacers eventually lost.
Considering that the Indiana Pacers nearly stole the game, Laker Nation was in uproar. Darvin Ham, unsurprisingly, was trolled on social media for how the game ended. Rick Carlisle’s daring and timely adjustment almost resulted in an improbable win for his team.
Guess the Lakers players!
