Indiana Pacers get revenge against Los Angeles Lakers in impressive home victory

The Pacers hosted the Lakers on Friday night

Mar 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) shoots the ball / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers returned home from a lengthy road trip on Friday night as they hosted LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the Lakers only trip to Indianapolis of the 2023-24 campaign. LA defeated Indiana on Sunday.

The Lakers' size has given the Pacers fits this season, so finding a way to combat it was going to be key for the hosts. They needed to play their style and knock down jumpers if they were going to keep up — LA has the NBA's fourth-best offense since the All-Star break.

LeBron and company raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first moments of the game, which was capped off by a dunk from the league's all-time leading scorer. The crowd was already invested in the action, and they grew even louder as the Pacers scored on their next possession. There were thousands of fans in the building rooting for both squads.

Indiana responded to their early deficit well. They were pushing in transition and playing fast on offense. Against the Lakers, that style worked well. The Pacers got good looks from all over the court and found themselves up 11-9 about 5.5 minutes into the game. Aaron Nesmith had seven early points.

The game remained close for the next few minutes. Neither squad was able to grab a significant advantage, and the lead was traded back and forth. With just under three minutes to go in the frame, the hosts were ahead 20-19 on the scoreboard.

After one frame, the Pacers led 27-24. Nesmith's seven points still topped his team, and star guard Tyrese Haliburton was close behind with five. Indiana's defense was solid early.

The game's script didn't change much early in the second period. Both teams were scoring with about even frequency, with only threes and free throws being the difference on the scoreboard. Momentum was hard to come by.

Indiana was up by four after four minutes of second period play. T.J. McConnell was rolling for the blue and gold's second unit — he had eight points and three assists at the time. It was still a close game, though, and both LeBron James and Anthony Davis were on the floor.

The game continued with the same flow for almost all of the second quarter. It was essentially the opposite of the Lakers vs Pacers game that took place last Sunday — a duel that ended with a 150-145 win for LA. This game featured much less scoring and a steadier, yet still fast, pace.

Shots weren't falling, which kept the score lower than usual. After the visitors tied the game inside the final two minutes of the second quarter, the Pacers scored a quick five points to climb back into the lead. They were ahead 54-49 at halftime.

McConnell paced the hosts with 11 points at halftime, and he also had three assists. Nesmith had nine points. Davis had 12 for the Lakers.

The second half opened with two quick baskets from Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, and that pushed Indiana's lead to eight. They had done well all night to keep LA away, and they continued to do so early in the second half.

Indiana continued to push across the next few minutes, and they took an 11-point lead at 70-59. It was the first double-digit lead for either team throughout the night, and it came during the best stretch of the game for the blue and gold. Their energy level was where it needed to be.

LA responded with three quick points, but the Pacers answered. If the game settled back into a back-and-forth battle, the Pacers would have a big advantage since they were ahead. They were doing well to keep up their style even during Lakers' runs.

That aforementioned faster style allowed them to surge ahead late in the third period. Once both teams made substitutions, Indiana started rolling. Their lead climbed as high as 16 late in the period as Haliburton and Jalen Smith made consecutive shots.

After three frames, Indiana was ahead 86-72. Their effort level in the third period was terrific, and it allowed them to extend their lead against the star-filled Lakers. Pascal Siakam was up to 16 points, which led the blue and gold at the time.

The final quarter opened with six quick points from the Lakers to cut the deficit down to eight. They had Davis and James on the court while the Pacers had a bench-heavy group on the hardwood. Their stars were resting, so this stretch was going to be important.

Indiana found a few baskets on the next few possessions, which kept Los Angeles away temporarily. But it was clear that the Lakers were surging a bit to open the final period. The Pacers needed to make some shots.

It was 90-81 in favor of the home team with 8:44 to go. A lengthy review helped both teams get rest at the time, and the Pacers were able to bring in their starting five after the refs talked things over. Thanks to a flagrant foul, the Lakers had the ball down by seven when play resumed.

The Pacers did well to hold on during the Lakers run, and they were back up 11 with six minutes to go in the game. Their defense tightened up, and their offense was getting good looks on almost every possession. It was a winning formula, but there was still a lot of game left.

Indiana didn't relax and instead expanded their lead to 15 with 4:34 to go. They were close to clinching this win, they just needed a few more good possessions on both ends to earn a bounceback victory.

They got it. With two minutes to go, the Pacers were up by 19. They were going to win, they just needed to run out the clock. The Lakers cleared their bench with 2:08 to go.

In the end, the Pacers won 109-90. They improved to 42-33 with the win and secured a winning record for the 2023-24 season.

Haliburton finished with 21 points and eight assists. Siakam had 22 points and 11 rebounds. McConnell added 16 points and three assists.

The Pacers next play on Monday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets.

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