The Los Angeles Lakers (24-28, 11-16 Away) travel to face the Indiana Pacers (24-28, 16-10 Home) Thursday in what figures to be an up-tempo game.Los Angeles defeated the New York Knicks 129-123 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
With 28 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, LeBron James led the way. The Lakers are 13th in the Western Conference.Indiana dropped their third in a row on Sunday at FedExForum, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 112-100.
Bennedict Mathurin had 27 points and eight rebounds in the loss, leading the team. The Pacers are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
This marks the last meeting of the season between the teams. Indiana will be pursuing a season sweep against Los Angeles after triumphing in the only previous meeting 116-115 at Crypto.com Arena in November 2022.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 24 points, 14 assists, and seven rebounds. Anthony Davis had 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in defeat.
The Lakers have been led this season by James, who is averaging 30.2 points per game, seventh-highest in the league. James also has grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook is dishing 7.5 assists.Haliburton (20.2 ppg), Mathurin (17.9), and Myles Turner (17.5) have powered the Pacers on offense.
Turner also has collected 7.8 rebounds per game, while Haliburton has tallied 10.2 assists per game, most in the NBA.
Look for plenty of transition offense in this matchup that showcases two of the league’s most up-tempo teams, as the Lakers and the Pacers rank first and third, respectively, in possessions per game.
The Pacers have had the advantage in the last 10 matchups between the teams at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, winning seven.In the last 10 games, Los Angeles is 5-5 with an average margin of -1.2 (118.8-120.0).
Indiana has a 1-9 record over the last 10, allowing 123.6 points per game on average while scoring only 113.3 (-10.3 margin). The Pacers are averaging 115.1 ppg for the full season while allowing 117.2.
LAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Patrick Beverley: 16.0 | 12.1 | +3.9
Lonnie Walker IV: 11.3 | 17.8 | -6.5
Points per game:
Lonnie Walker IV: 9.3 | 14.2 | -4.9
Assists per game:
LeBron James: 9.3 | 7.1 | +2.1
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
T.J. McConnell: 29.0 | 15.5 | +13.5
Jalen Smith: 11.0 | 16.4 | -5.4
Points per game:
Bennedict Mathurin: 24.6 | 17.9 | +6.7
Jalen Smith: 6.7 | 9.6 | -3.0
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 4.0 | 5.8 | -1.8
Assists per game:
T.J. McConnell: 9.2 | 5.1 | +4.1
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Indiana Pacers (+125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
