INDIANAPOLIS -- The Lakers (43-28) and Pacers (42-29) will meet for the second and final time this season on Wednesday (4:30 p.m.) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Memphis’ win over Utah on Tuesday pushed Los Angeles back to the 5th seed in the West, a spot that they’ve been bouncing back and forth for the last week.
GETTING BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
Getting back in the win column is vital not only to their momentum with the playoffs approaching but also to their standing in the West. With three games being the difference between the 2nd to 5th seeds, each game becomes more important with 11 games left.
The Lakers have lost seven of their last 10 games and will look to snap a three-game skid, while Indiana has won five straight and seven of their last eight.
WINNING ON THE ROAD
Los Angeles has played a majority of their best basketball at home this season, ranking among the best records in the NBA (third best) at home this season with a 28-9 record at Crypto.com Arena. But they rank among the worst of the top teams in the West on the road.
They are the only team among the top six in the West below .500 on the road with a 15-19 record. And snapping their skid isn’t going to be easy with Indiana (24-9 at home) having the second fewest losses at home this season in the East and second fewest in the NBA, tied with the Lakers.
The Lakers will have a more traveled path to finish the season, playing seven of the final 11 games on the road.
LEBRON AND LUKA'S CHEMISTRY
We can all take a deep breath and hold the thoughts on the panic button. The Lakers are in the middle of some ugly luck and unfortunate nagging injuries, but there is still enormous hope and potential from their star duo and solid third option in Austin Reaves.
We've only had a sample size of LeBron James and Luka Dončić together, playing just 13 games together thus far, where they’ve posted an 8-5 record. Injuries and a tough latter half of a ton of games in a short span (playing seven games in 10 days last week) have piled up on L.A., showing in these recent losses while still dealing with lingering injuries.
James is still trying to shake off some rust from missing seven games at the beginning of March. The only thing you can do now is give them time to build their cohesiveness. We’ve only scratched the surface; can you imagine the peak ceiling with those two IQ’s on the same side? PLAYOFFS!
Give them time to mesh.