Brook Lopez was the Lakers' top performer with 23 points and 8 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 2 blocks, but could not pull it out as they fall to the Pacers 100-110 to open up their 4-game road trip. Kyle Kuzma lead all starters in scoring with 27 points to go with 8 rebounds, Julius Randle racked up 21 points and 9 rebounds, and KCP added 12 points and 7 rebounds. I.T. lead the 2nd unit in scoring with 11 points.
Final Score: @ Indiana 100-110 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180319/LALIND#/recap
Next Game: @ New Orleans (03/22)
Highlights: *courtesy of Rapid Highlights*
Classic example of a game starting with a bang and ending with a dud. The Lakers had a really good first quarter, capping it off with an 8 point lead. The game got even during the 2nd quarter and then, the Pacers just pulled away late in the third quarter. The starting front court was the big plus with Lopez, Randle, and Kuzma putting up 20+ points each. The problem was, they couldn't stop the back court of Oladipo and Collison. Based on the full article, they wrecked the Laker defense by driving and setting teammates up for high percentage shots. Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young were the beneficiaries on that. It also didn't help that the bench got outscored 13-30. Lance Stephenson lead the way for the Pacers bench with 16 points and he was also key for Indiana pulling away throughout the rest of the game. The Laker back court as a whole struggled again with I.T., Zo, and KCP having off nights shooting the ball. Zo in particular continues to crash back down to earth as a scorer. That'll be the biggest emphasis of improvement Zo has to focus on in the offseason. The Lakers are back to a losing skid again. That's been a recurring theme this season. The Lakers will compile together a winning streak. And then some time later, they will skid off with a losing streak. The Lakers faced their longest skid when they rode a 9-game losing streak prior to the New Year. The last thing the Lakers need is an underwhelming finish to an improving season. They really need Ingram back to settle things down before it gets ugly.
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