Luka Doncic scores 43 as Lakers hold off late Pacers rally
Even LeBron James couldn’t muster the energy. With a wide-open lane in the ending moments of the Lakers’ 137-130 win over the Indiana Pacers, James simply dumped off a pass to Jake LaRavia. The 23-year-old had hops to put the finishing touches on the Lakers’ successful six-game road trip.
Tired and shorthanded, the Lakers punctuated their extended trip with a fifth win Wednesday. Luka Doncic effortlessly scored his league-leading 14th 40-point game of the season, 43 points and seven assists. The NBA’s leading scorer surpassed 30 points for the 11th consecutive game, which is tied for the longest streak of 30-point games in the last 20 years, equaling his own mark in the 2023-24 season and with Stephen Curry in 2020-21.
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The wear and tear of an intense road trip in which the first five games all came down to the final minutes didn’t faze Doncic. He nearly outscored the Pacers alone in the first quarter, putting up 21 while the Pacers trailed 45-28. He threw a lob to Maxi Kleber for a dunk in the third quarter then pumped both of his fists. Doncic nailed a step-back three from the top of the key, held his follow through and hopped backwards on one leg.
The Lakers (46-26) toyed with the struggling Pacers (16-56). When Indiana’s Andrew Nesmith and Pascal Siakam fell over each other trying to contest a Euro-step layup by James, who posed over them and pointed to the Pacers players. Nesmith and Siakam could only grimace at each other.
James finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Austin Reaves had 25 points and eight assists while Hayes had his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds, both season highs. Of his nine made shots, seven were dunks.
Hayes brought the energy for the shorthanded Lakers, who were without Deandre Ayton (back soreness), Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness). Smart and Hachimura remain day-to-day as they missed their second consecutive games while…
