The Lakers showed signs of promise on Saturday and will look to build on that back at home against the Pacers
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their fifth consecutive loss on Saturday night as they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time in the past three games. While they lost by double-digits, the young core of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell showed a lot of promise that they can hope to build upon as they head back to STAPLES Center for a Sunday evening matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
This matchup will be the first time that Roy Hibbert has faced his former team since being traded to Los Angeles this offseason. Oddly enough, he’ll be matched up with a former Laker in Jordan Hill for the bulk of his minutes on the floor.
However, neither Hibbert nor Hill will be a determining factor in this one. Instead, the matchup on the wing between Kobe Bryant and Paul George will likely swing this game in either direction, assuming Bryant plays after logging 34 minutes on the first night of the back-to-back.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
If Bryant does indeed play, his offense will continue to determine how things go for the Lakers on that end of the floor. Kobe’s inefficient, iso-heavy offense continued last night against Portland and effectively killed any flow that the offense had when Bryant was on the bench.
However, one of the less talked about parts of Kobe’s decline this season has been on the defensive end, which will certainly come into play if he’s matched up with George. PG-13 is one of the most dynamic forwards in the game of basketball and, with Bryant’s athleticism and quickness severely depleted, he has a pure physical advantage over Kobe in this matchup. It could get ugly quick for the Lakers if George continually attacks Bryant.
Even if things play out poorly in this one, though, what the Lakers need to see is more positive signs from their future in Clarkson, Russell, and Randle. Saturday was arguably the first time all three players have clicked on the same night and that at least provided some enjoyment for Lakers fans. Now, it’d be refreshing to see them start to develop some level of consistency by doing it again on Sunday night.
Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Sunday, Nov. 29
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC SN (Local)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: 710 AM ESPN
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Pacers -9.5
Moneyline: Pacers -530, Lakers +435
O/U: 201.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Lou Williams (personal)—Out
Indiana Pacers: Jordan Hill (sore lower back)—Questionable, Myles Turner (thumb)—Out
Prediction
The Pacers have been one of the hottest teams in the league coming out of the gate this season while the Lakers, well, haven’t. With Indiana’s defensive capabilities and proficiency shooting threes this season, they look like a team that will cause the Lakers fits and push the losing streak to six games.
Enjoy the game and check back with Lake Show Life daily for all your Lakers news, analysis, updates and more.