Los Angeles Lakers come up short against Indiana Pacers: Anthony Davis’ huge game not enough

The Los Angeles Lakers went to Gainbridge FieldHouse Arena to battle the Indiana Pacers but came up short as they lost 109-90 despite a monster Anthony Davis performance.

AD led the Lakers with 24 points and 15 rebounds on 53% shooting. LeBron James had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists while Austin Reaves finished with 16 points, 13 boards, and 6 assists. D'Angelo Russell struggled from the field as he shot just 3/14 for a total of 6 points.

Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 22 points for the Pacers while also recording 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Tyrese Haliburton ended with 21 points, 8 assists, 8 boards, and 2 steals with 3 made triples. TJ McConnell had 16 points off the bench while Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard each contributed 10 points. Aaron Nesmith provided 12 points in his 39 minutes of play.

Los Angeles drops to 41-33 with this loss and now sit just 1.5 games above the Warriors for the 9th seed in the West. The Lakers are fighting for a playoff spot but it's looking like they will have to compete in the play-in tournament and earn one of the last 2 seeds.

They would like to move up to 8th so they only have to win 1 play-in game but this loss hurts their chances of doing so. LA is now 7-3 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce back on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets.

Indiana improves to 42-33 with this win and remain the 6th seed in the East. They now hold a 1 game lead over the Heat and are looking to hold onto a top 6 seed to avoid the play-in. This was a huge win for the Pacers as they were able to defeat the dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games and will look to pick up another victory on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets.