The Los Angeles Lakers really missed Anthony Davis against the Indiana Pacers, as their big men dominated both ends of the court.
The Los Angeles Lakers had another tough game on their road trip tonight against the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, they were unable to pull this one out, as the Pacers won the game, 105-102.
A big reason for the Lakers‘ 14-game road winning streak, and seven game winning streak overall, was injuries. Kyle Kuzma missed his fourth consecutive game, but the biggest blow came when Anthony Davis was announced out hours prior to the game.
Davis is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered against the Atlanta Hawks. Davis was hopeful that he would suit up, but the team held him out. Hopefully, it is a one game absence, because the Lakers sorely missed Davis’ presence on both ends of the court.
Defensively, Davis’ rim protection and defense, overall, was missed. Domantas Sabonis was the most dominant player on the court throughout the night, feasting offensively without Davis on the court.
Sabonis scored 26 points, shooting 10-of-15 from the field and making one of his two 3-point attempts. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and handed out four assists as well. His frontcourt partner, Myles Turner, also had a strong game.
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Turner finished the game with 16 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field with seven rebounds. He was a presence defensively, blocking two shots and registering two steals.
The Pacers big men took full advantage of the Lakers not having their star defender. Without Davis, the team was unable to use many of their multiple big man lineups, as JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were the only bigs available tonight with Jared Dudley stepping into the starting lineup.
They did their best to make up the lost production with AD out of their lineup. McGee scored 10 points with eight rebounds, one assist and three blocks. Howard killed it off the bench, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
Unfortunately, it was not enough for the Lakers to get a victory over the Pacers. The Lakers have another difficult game to end their road trip, as they will face the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Having Davis back in the lineup would be a huge boost against the Eastern Conference leading Bucks.