INDIANAPOLIS — It could have been worse.
A sentence that could also represent the Indiana Pacers’ season, was also comfortably true Wednesday night. The Lakers closed their six-game trip at Gainbridge Fieldhouse doing what most of the NBA has to the injury-ridden, and, at-times, seemingly tanking Indiana Pacers (16-56): winning in no-surprises fashion 137-130.
Luka Doncic finished with 43 points on 15-for-30 shooting as four Lakers scored in double figures, closing a 5-1 road trip with their 13th win in the past 15 games. Austin Reaves had 25 points and eight of the team’s 30 assists, while LeBron James just missed another triple-double with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Center Jaxson Hayes, who played 36 minutes with starter Deandre Ayton sidelined by back soreness, had seven dunks on his way to season-highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds – his first double-double of the season. It was the third 20-point, 10-rebound game of the backup big man’s career and his first since joining the Lakers (47-26).
The Pacers, who trailed by as much as 29 points, won the third and fourth quarters and pulled within six points in the final minute thanks to a late surge that included a 3-pointer from Jace Walker with 27.9 seconds remaining. The Lakers allowed 45 points in the fourth.
Forty-five first-quarter points, however, matched the Lakers’ second-largest opening period point total of the season, just below their season-best 46 in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 30. Leading by 20-plus points for much of the night, reserve guard Bronny James played minutes alongside his father for just the second time this season.
In the fourth quarter with 10:54 remaining in the game, Luke Kennard – who made two 3-pointers among his eight points – found the younger James for a thunderous one-handed dunk and a 109-87 lead.
The result gets the Pacers (16-57) a game closer to being able to turn the page toward the draft lottery and their potential top-five selection in June’s draft. Indiana has been without star guard Tyrese Haliburton all season after he tore his Achilles early in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
In a moment that summed up where these two teams are headed, James cruised to the rim on a fast-break scoring opportunity as Pacers starters Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam missed the 41-year-old star with their respective contests. Siakam, the 6-foot-8 former All-Star fell to the court below the basket. Nesmith, the Pacers’ shooting guard, collapsed to the ground on top of his teammate.
As Nesmith helped Siakam up from the floor, James posed and signaled with his left and right pointing fingers to showcase the collateral damage below him.
The Lakers, currently third in the Western Conference standings, continue to surge toward the end of the regular season, with games against Eastern Conference bottom feeders Brooklyn and Washington next on the docket. The Pacers, simply, are not.
Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points and eight rebounds, while center Jay Huff added 18 points. Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard had a career-high 19 assists to go along with 14 points.
The Pacers turned the ball over 18 times compared to the Lakers, who were without Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Ayton, and finished with 14.
#### NOTES
The Lakers had 15 steals and outscored the Pacers 70-54 in the paint. … Doncic has 11 straight games with at least 30 points, which ties his career high. His 14th 40-point game of the season leads the NBA. … Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was snapping pictures on the sideline as a credentialed photographer.
_More to come on this story._