Matchup
After dropping their first seeding game in Orlando, the Pacers (42-27) will look to bounce back on Saturday night against the Lakers (51-17).
The Blue & Gold were dominated on the glass in Thursday's 114-99 loss to the Suns, who outrebounded them 53-38 overall and 12-5 on the offensive glass.
"I thought that our focus was more on the offensive end of the floor," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said after the loss. "Defensively we didn't do a good job of containing...and we just got pounded on the boards."
Rebounding will again be a point of emphasis against the Lakers, who rank eighth in the NBA in rebounding and have a big lineup that features All-NBA big man Anthony Davis (26.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game) alongside either JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard (who combine for 13 rebounds per game) at center.
The Lakers have already secured the top seed in the Western Conference in the playoffs and therefore just want to remain healthy through their final seeding games. They held four-time MVP LeBron James out of Thursday's loss to Houston with a sore right groin and could opt to rest him again against Indiana.
Projected Starters
Malcolm Brogdon
Victor Oladipo
Aaron Holiday
T.J. Warren
Myles Turner
LeBron James
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Danny Green
Anthony Davis
JaVale McGee
Pacers: PG - Malcolm Brogdon, SG -Victor Oladipo, SF - Aaron Holiday, PF - T.J. Warren, C - Myles Turner
Lakers: PG - LeBron James, SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF - Danny Green, PF - Anthony Davis, C - JaVale McGee
Injury Report
Pacers: Doug McDermott - questionable (sore right knee), Myles Turner - questionable (sprained left ankle), T.J. Warren - questionable (sore right foot), Jeremy Lamb - out (torn ACL, left knee), Domantas Sabonis - out (plantar fasciitis, left foot)
Suns: Anthony Davis - probable (sprained right ankle), Dwight Howard - probable (sore right knee), Markieff Morris - probable (left hip contusion), Alex Caruso - questionable (left neck muscle spasms), LeBron James - questionable (sore right groin), Rajon Rondo - out (right thumb surgery)
Last Meeting
Dec. 17, 2019: Malcolm Brogdon blew by Dwight Howard for the go-ahead reverse layup with 36.4 seconds remaining to lift Indiana to a 105-102 win over the Lakers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Domantas Sabonis led the Blue & Gold with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and also tallied 10 rebounds and four assists. Myles Turner added 16 points, seven boards, and two blocks.
"We were just poised tonight," Brogdon said. "Continued to make plays, continued to get stops, continued to not let them get second-chance points."
James led the Lakers with 20 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Howard added 20 points off the bench, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the field.
Noteworthy
- With a win on Saturday, the Pacers would sweep the season series with the Lakers for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
- Lakers coach Frank Vogel is 0-8 in his career against the Pacers, whom he coached from 2011-16. Vogel went 0-7 against Indiana while he was head coach of the Orlando Magic and dropped his first meeting as coach of the Lakers earlier this season.
- Through games played as of Thursday, Pacers forward T.J. Warren is tied with Rockets guard James Harden for the best scoring average since the restart (33.8 points per game).
Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »
TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (studio host)
TNT - Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Jeff Van Gundy (analyst), Chris Haynes (sideline reporter)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 FM/1070 AM The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)