Indiana Pacers fall apart in fourth quarter, drop game to LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers

The Pacers are 24-29 as the losses keep coming

Everything was looking good for the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers even started, it was revealed that point guard Tyrese Haliburton and center Daniel Theis would return from injury, meaning the team was fully healthy for the first time all season. The Pacers had all of their guys.

Then, just before tipoff, it was announced that Haliburton had been named an NBA All-Star. It is his first All-Star appearance, and he will represent the Pacers in Salt Lake City at All-Star weekend.

The feeling inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse was overwhelmingly positive. The Pacers elevated that feeling with the way they played early. In the first quarter, Indiana crushed Los Angeles and led by as many as 12. Haliburton looked excellent to begin his return.

At halftime, the blue and gold had a 13 point lead. They were rolling, and with a healthy group, it didn't look like they could be stopped. Myles Turner already had 14 points and nine rebounds, Haliburton had 16 points and six assists. Aaron Nesmith was in the midst of a career night and already had 15 points. The Pacers looked dominant.

"I loved a lot of the things that we did throughout the game in order to put ourselves in a position to win the game," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of his team's play in the early portions of the duel.

In the third quarter, Indiana took a small step back, but they still held their own. The Lakers outscored them 30-29, meaning the Pacers held a double-digit lead entering the final frame. With the way they were playing and the upbeat nature of the evening, it felt like the blue and gold were about to cruise to a win.

Instead, the exact opposite happened. The Pacers offense totally fell apart. They scored just 15 points in the final quarter and shot 6/22. They knocked down 3/11 from deep and didn't shoot any free throws. They had four turnovers and nine fouls. The Lakers offense was good, not great, down the stretch, but Indiana couldn't score as LA made a comeback.

In the end, the Lakers won 112-111. Guard Buddy Hield had a decent look at a game-winning shot with a few seconds left, but it didn't fall as the Pacers were defeated.

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"Some missed shots. I think there's a lot of stuff that went into it," Haliburton said of the Pacers in the fourth quarter. "Poor fourth quarter all around... we've got to be better, 15 points isn't acceptable."

Haliburton went 1/6 in the last quarter of play. The Lakers, and specifically Patrick Beverley, did a good job putting pressure on Indiana's All-Star. Indiana's bench went 1/9 in the last 12 minutes, too. The Pacers couldn't find a way to score and settled for jumpers.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, got 15 points from just LeBron James and Anthony Davis down the stretch. They stepped up offensively and dragged the Lakers to a win despite a poor first three quarters.

The Pacers know they played poorly in the fourth quarter, and the second half in general. They made that clear. But the team was also frustrated by the officiating down the stretch of this game as the Lakers made their run.

The Lakers took 16 free throws in the fourth quarter while the Pacers took zero. "I've never seen a 16-0 free throw discrepancy in the fourth quarter of an NBA game ever," Carlisle said a few minutes after the final buzzer.

The Pacers were taking a lot of jumpers, but it's fair to wonder if they were settling for jumpers due to their frustrations with the whistle. "It's hard to stay in a game when stuff isn't going your way, the calls and stuff," backup center Isaiah Jackson said after the game, noting that the Pacers still could have done more to win.

Haliburton echoed similar frustrations. The Pacers committed nine fouls in the final frame while the Lakers were called for just three, and two of the Los Angeles fouls came from charges on the offensive end.

"I think we didn't get our first foul in the fourth until the last 30 seconds," Haliburton said after the game before a long pause. "We've got to be better, it's not on that. But man, they must be a really good defensive team — one foul in a whole quarter of basketball."

Haliburton finished with 26 points and 12 assists in his return to action. Turner joined him on the double double list with 20 points and 13 rebounds. They were both great and had a positive plus-minus.

Nesmith finished with a career high 24 points. His teammate prior to joining the Pacers, Theis, made his debut for the team tonight, though he didn't put up any stats in his seven minutes.

The Pacers are now 24-29 and sit firmly in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are out of the play-in as of right now and have now lost 11 of their last 12 games. They will try to get back on track against the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night.

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• Why a contract extension made sense for the Indiana Pacers and Myles Turner. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton named a 2023 NBA All-Star. CLICK HERE.
• Report: Indiana Pacers were 'finalist' for Rui Hachimura before Los Angeles Lakers trade. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard were named to the NBA Rising Stars team. CLICK HERE.
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