Lakers score most points in a game since 1987 in win over Pacers
On Sunday, the Lakers accomplished a feat not seen in 37 years: scoring 150 points in a single game. The last time the franchise achieved this milestone was on January 2, 1987, with legends like Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy leading the charge in a win over the Phoenix Suns, tallying 155 points.
In 1987, the Lakers had eight players score in double figures in their 155-118 win, combining for 139 points. Johnson led the team with 32 points and 14 assists.
Fast-forward almost four decades, and the Lakers reached that same threshold in their 150-145 win over the Indiana Pacers, the same team they beat for the NBA Cup in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament in December.
L.A. had four of its five starters score 25+ points in its weekend win over Indiana, combining for 113 points. Those included Anthony Davis (36 points, 16 rebounds), LeBron James (26 points), Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points) and Austin Reaves (26 points).
“We allowed them to score 145,” Davis said on the high-scoring night. “We can do what we want offensively, but we got to be able to defend, especially when we got a team up like that... At this point of the season, a win is a win but we got to learn from it as well.”
With a close four-point lead at halftime (72-68), the Lakers took control in the third quarter, earning their biggest lead (19) as they outscored the Pacers 44-31.
That lead was cut to single digits as the momentum shifted when Indiana brought in six-foot guard T.J. McConnell to change the pace and use his slithery offense to his advantage against the Lakers' big lineup. McConnell contributed 11 of his 17 points in the second half and dished out seven assists.
The Pacers' late-game surge, which included a couple of deep threes from Tyrese Haliburton that brought them within three points with 21 seconds remaining, wasn't enough as L.A. closed out the win with crucial free throws and a timely defensive steal from Cam Reddish.
The Lakers' aggressiveness and efficiency led to a season-high 38 made free throws on 43 attempts (88.4%), and Davis’ 21 points in the second half were both the determining factors in the high-scoring win.
“I’m exhausted,” said 39-year-old James when asked if he was in awe of being a part of a high-scoring affair. “Our league has so many great players that can do multiple things and when the game has so much space, so much shooting, there is going to be some high-scoring games throughout our league.”
Outside of a solid scoring night from LeBron, the 20-time all-star made a huge impact as a playmaker, dishing out 10 assists, and five rebounds on top of a team-high +12 plus/minus.
With D’Angelo Russell out of the matchup with a non-COVID illness, the team looked to in-season addition Spencer Dinwiddie to fill in his role. The L.A. native did just that, scoring his highest (26 points) in a Lakers uniform on an efficient 8-for-11 (72.7%) shooting from the field.
"That’s the type of player he is; he’s multi-faceted. He’s willing to accept and embrace whatever role is put in front of him. We’ve asked him to defend some high-level perimeter guys, play-make, and be aggressive,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. “Tonight, he did all three."
The Lakers' win pushes their record to seven games over .500 (39–32) and 2.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors in the 9th spot in the Western Conference while being just three games away from the 6th seed.
“We just need to continue to play our style of basketball and focus on us and take it one game at a time,” Davis said after the win.
The Lakers will head off on a long six-game road trip, starting this Tuesday in Milwaukee against the 46-25 Bucks in a 4:30 matchup at the Fiserv Forum.
