Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana Pacers in first game post All Star Break

The Los Angeles Lakers officially started the second half of the season in a Staples Center matchup against the Indiana Pacers. The Lake Show came into this game needing to turn things around with a two-game losing streak and an extended stretch of losing six of eight!

The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were still on their All-Star break for the first three quarters of this game. While LeBron James was coasting along, the Lakers were in need of some help to beat the Indiana Pacers on a night Malcolm Brogdon seemingly couldn’t miss.

Then the fourth quarter happened!

LeBron James collaborated with a lineup featuring Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews and Dennis Schroder put together a 12-2 run. Then a huge Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steal with less than 10 seconds in the games was enough to get out with a 105-100 win snapping a two-game losing streak.

The Lakers have the weekend off and play the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

The good from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:

LeBron James was solid. Lake Show Life guesses that’s good?

LeBron played only 13 minutes in the All-Star game on Sunday. With a “night off” from the festivities, most would think he would come out with more energy than he did. That being said, he did keep the Lakers in striking distance. His teammates were AWOL until the last quarter. Then two bench players showed up big time to help him out. He finished with 18 points.

Kyle Kuzma was ice cold early and then burned the Staples Center down in crunch time! 

For the first three quarters, Kuz was 3-10 for only 9 points. He went to the free-throw line early in the 4th quarter and got his rhythm. After that, he took the game over. He hit five of his first six shots and was a beast on the boards…AGAIN! He finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Montrezl Harrell followed Kuzma’s lead and dominated in the final quarter as well!

Harrell made NBA news with a cryptic tweet about quitting and missing his grandmother. Despite having a lot on his mind, he gave the Pacers plenty to think about in this game playing with energy and putting up numbers as well.

He finished with 17 points (8-11 shooting!) making huge defensive plays that included a huge steal to stop a Pacers fast break in crunch time.

Wow, the Lakers got to the free-throw line! Oh, and they hit them too!

The Lakers would have been blown out of this game had it not been for their solid free throw shooting. The Lake Show finished 30-39 from the line.

The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:

Malcolm Brogdon was destroying the Lakers early.

To put this in proper perspective, with just under three minutes left in the opening quarter, there were no players in the game with more than three points except for one. That was Malcolm Brogdon who had 12 points on 5-7 shooting. He was driving to the basket for layups. He was knocking down 3 point shots.

He was doing everything. Honestly, if Dennis Schroder hadn’t made an amazing block of one of his shots at the rim, there’s no telling how much damage Malcolm Brogdon could have inflicted.

Malcolm Brogdon had 18 of the Indiana Pacers 28 first-quarter points on 7-10 shooting. But as soon as he sat down to rest in the second quarter, the Lakers went crazy with a quick 11-0 run.

However…

Alex Caruso left the game with a head injury!

AC Fresh only played seven minutes in this game and left with a bad head contusion. He dove for the ball and landed hard on the floor and his head bounced off the floor. He had a plus/minus of +7. After he left, Indiana erased the momentum the Lakers were building in the second quarter. Hopefully for Lakers Nation, Caruso is not placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

The story from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:

The Lakers locked up Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis! 

The Indiana Pacers looked for these guys to generate some offense in crunch time. The Lakers threw them in the broom closet and did not let them have anything late. With Brogdon being slowed offensively, the Pacers could not score. The Lake Show dominated Indiana 34-21 in the final quarter.

The Los Angeles Lakers have to get it together. They still aren’t playing well.

It didn’t really matter if the Los Angeles Lakers had won or lost this game watching how they played. They came out listless and were a step slow until the last quarter.

Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated in two weeks (Pay attention to the wording!) on his Achilles and calf situation.

Until he returns, the Lakers have to find someone on the roster that can put up points on a consistent basis. LeBron James was the only Laker in double figures for three quarters. That’s just not going to get it.

Lake Show Life’s more in-depth breakdowns will come in Lake Show Life Lessons tomorrow. Keep it locked for the only Los Angeles Lakers post-game report with highlights and in-depth analysis.