The Lakers (46-26) aim to quickly get back on the winning column as they conclude their six-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers (16-56) on Wednesday.
Los Angeles looks to sweep the season series for the second straight year in a row.
Start time and TV schedule
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers winning streak finally came to an end on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. It was a bummer, but one that was bound to happen. After all, all good things come to an end and there’s always that next opportunity for them to build another streak. That can start as early as Wednesday’s game against the Pacers.
Now with a record of 23-14 in road games this season, the Lakers will close their current road trip against a Pacers team that has lost nine out of its last 10 games. Indiana is actually coming off a thrilling victory against the Orlando Magic — who the Lakers barely beat over the weekend — so it’s not like the Pacers are purposely losing games right now. Yes, their season is pretty much done, but it’s still too early to shut down their key players.
So on Wednesday, expect Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin to suit up. The Lakers didn’t have a problem with them in their last matchup at Crypto.com Arena because Luka Dončić went berserk. There’s a possibility that could happen again, especially since Indiana has no answer for him.
This Pacers team is statistically the worst in the league, rankingbottom five on offense and defense. Frankly speaking, losing to them is inexcusable, especially given how tight the race is now in the competitive Western Conference standings. The Lakers have to make sure that Siakam won’t be the best player on the floor on Wednesday night and guys like Jarace Walker and Nembhard don’t play extraordinarily well.
At this point, Indiana is playing with house money, so there’s no pressure on their side. It would be nice if the Lakers could take control of this from start to finish, unlike against the Pistons. In fact, most of their games in this road trip have gone down to the wire.
Hopefully though, they don’t always depend on their clutch performance to save them because, as we saw last game, it doesn’t always go their way. Let’s see if Wednesday’s game against the Pacers unfolds in a more dominant way for the purple and gold.