As long as the Lakers haveLuka Doncic on the court, they always have a chance of winning, regardless of the opponent.
And regardless of the circumstances.
The Lakers’ 128-117 Friday night win over the Pacers atCrypto.comArena, which was the second night of a back-to-back and witnessed star forward LeBron James and starting centerDeandre Ayton watchingfrom the bench in street clothes, was a quick reminder.
Doncic, who entered Friday leading the league in first-quarter scoring (11.5 points), got off to one of his signature hot starts, scoring 22 points in the first quarter to give the Lakers an early advantage they didn’t relinquish.
Friday marked Doncic’s league-leading fifth 20-point first quarter outing of the season, which is the most by any player in the play-by-play era (1996-97), according to ESPN.
Already the league’s scorer, Doncic finished with 44 points on 14-of-25 shooting, including 7 of 14 on 3s, to go with nine rebounds and five assists in the 32 minutes he played in the first three quarters.
Austin Reaves (19 points, five assists) and Luke Kennard (15 points, seven rebounds off of the bench) picked up the slack in the fourth so Doncic didn’t have to play in the final quarter.
Reaves picked up his sixth foul in the fourth, just the second time in his career he’s fouled out of a game.
Just one day after losing ground in the Western Conference standings with Thursday’s loss in Denver, the Lakers made up for it by beating the Pacers.
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