Austin Reaves Leads Lakers Past Pacers as NBA Fans Eye Luka-LeBron Debut vs. Jazz
Despite dealing with injuries to multiple star players, the Los Angeles Lakers still defeated the Indiana Pacers by the final score of 124-117 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
Indiana cut the Lakers' lead to just five points with roughly one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, but a lob from Shake Milton to Rui Hachimura helped seal the win.
Los Angeles emerged victorious due to the heroics of Austin Reaves, who scored a career-high 45 points. Reaves shot 14-26 from the field, hitting four of his nine attempts from behind the arc.
He also racked up seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
The short-handed Lakers were without LeBron James and Luka Dončić due to ankle and calf issues, respectively. Both players are expected to suit up against the Utah Jazz on Monday, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Los Angeles was still able to secure an impressive win over a Pacers team that won 13 of their previous 16 games entering Saturday's matchup.
Fans were impressed with the win while looking forward to the pairing of James and Dončić.
Hachimura also made his presence felt, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds on 61.5/66.7/100 shooting splits.
Meanwhile, Jaxson Hayes pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and recorded two blocks.
Pacers star Pascal Siakam struggled with his efficiency throughout the contest, scoring 23 points on 6-15 shooting. He also missed both of his three-point attempts.
As the Lakers prepare to debut the duo of James and Dončić, they improved to 31-19 with their victory over the Pacers.
