The Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers are set to face each other on Friday in Indianapolis at 7 pm EDT. With a record of 41-32, the Lakers are currently ninth in the Western Conference, while the Pacers, with a score of 21-15, are sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers have been on a winning streak for five games and will look to continue their momentum with a victory over Indiana. On the other hand, the Pacers have had some struggles on the road, with a record of 14-20 and losing by 10 or more points in 22 games.
When it comes to shooting skills, the Pacers have an advantage over the Lakers. They shoot an impressive 50.5% from the field, which is higher than what the Lakers allow their opponents to shoot (47.3%). Additionally, the Pacers average just over 10 three-pointers per game, which is lower than what the Lakers typically give up (11.8).
This will be only the second meeting between these two teams this season. In their last encounter on March 25, which ended in a narrow victory for Los Angeles with a score of 150-145. Anthony Davis led the way for Los Angeles with 36 points while Pascal Siakam led Indiana with an equally impressive performance of 36 points as well.
Some key players to watch during this matchup include Tyrese Halliburton from Indiana who has been averaging an impressive double-digit number of points and assists (20.3/11) and Austin Reaves from Los Angeles who has been shooting at an excellent rate (48.9%) while also scoring around 16 points per game. Looking at recent performance data, both teams have been doing well; Indiana is currently sitting at a record of 6 wins out of their last ten games while Los Angeles has won seven out of their last ten games as well.
Unfortunately for both teams, there will be some injuries affecting their lineups: Benedict Maturin is out for his season for Indiana while Christian Wood and Jared Vanderbilt are dealing with injuries along with Collin Castleton and Gabe Vincent for Los Angeles and Anthony Davis is also nursing an injury as well before this game