Early in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers were behind by 14 points before coming back to defeat the Indiana Pacers 112-111 on the road.
Los Angeles’ defense failed them early on Thursday as they trailed 67-54 after giving up 35 points in the first quarter and another 32 in the second.
Before their defense perked up in the fourth quarter and limited the home team to just 15, the Lakers were finally able to keep the Pacers to under 30 points in the third frame (30–29).
LeBron James’ three-pointer with 2:35 left in the game gave the visiting team its first lead, 108-106, but with less than a minute left, youngster Andrew Nembhard’s jump shot had given the Pacers a one-point edge.
While the Lakers left the door open with a pair of missed free throws from Pat Beverley, Buddy Hield’s potential game-winning shot was off the mark due to Beverley’s stifling defense. With the game on the line, Anthony Davis drained a clutch post fadeaway over elite defensive center Myles Turner to retake the lead.
It was a gutsy comeback to give the Lakers their second win in a row, led by Davis’ 31 points on 13-of-27 shooting with 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, James was efficient with 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting, adding seven rebounds and seven assists. He is now 62 points away from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring mark.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton enjoyed a strong return from injury after three weeks on the sideline, leading his team in points (26) and assists (12) after being named to his first All-Star team earlier in the day.
AD with the go-ahead bucket and the lead-saving block 〰 pic.twitter.com/YW6ewwr643
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 3, 2023