Lakers player grades: L.A. ends road trip with win over Pacers
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers' six-game road trip concluded on Wednesday with a trip to the Hoosier State for a matchup against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers came into this contest with the NBA's worst record, and they looked like the perfect opponent for a Lakers team that had its nine-game winning streak snapped on Monday by the Detroit Pistons.
The Lakers began with a bang by scoring the game's first 10 points and rolling up a 45-28 lead at the end of the first quarter. This game was never truly competitive, as they led by as many as 29 points in the third quarter. Although Indiana chopped that lead down to under 10 points in the final minute or so, it was too little, too late, as L.A. ended up with a 137-130 victory.
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While L.A. had some defensive deficiencies, it did force 18 Indiana turnovers, which turned into 29 points off turnovers and 22 fast-break points. It also shot 11 more free throws and had a 16-point edge in the paint, and four of its players scored over 20 points.
The Lakers will finally return home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. With a 47-26 record, it is in third place in the Eastern Conference and currently holds a two-game lead over the fourth-place Denver Nuggets.
Jake LaRavia: B
LaRavia may not be making an impact on the offensive end, but he was very active and effective on defense in this game. He came up with a game-high four steals, as well as one block, and was able to muck things up for the Pacers. Despite his offensive struggles, he has helped Los Angeles with his energy, effort and hustle.
On the other end of the floor, he made all three of his shot attempts, giving him six points. He also had five rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes.
Jaxson Hayes: A
Hayes moved into the starting lineup in place of Deandre Ayton, who was ruled out prior to the start of this game due to back soreness, and he had a field day. He feasted on layups and dunks by being active and moving without the ball, and he ended up making nine of his 11 shot attempts and three of his six free throw attempts, giving him 21 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and added one assist, two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes.
This was Hayes' first double-double of the season, and his first since March 4 of last year.
Austin Reaves: B
Reaves had a quiet first half with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. He started to find his touch afterward, and he finished the game 7-of-16 from the field while making all nine of his foul shot attempts, giving him 25 points. Reaves also dished off eight assists and added one rebound and two steals.
LeBron James: A-minus/A
James had a very strong first half with 15 points, and overall, he was more assertive than he has been lately ever since he fully embraced his new role as the Lakers' third scoring option. He got plenty of opportunities in transition and early offense, and he ended up with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting while also turning in nine rebounds, nine assists and one steal in 34 minutes.
Luka Doncic: A
After two bad shooting performances in the Lakers' previous two games, Doncic returned to form on Wednesday. He poured in 21 points in the first quarter to ignite the Lakers' tremendous start, and he finished with 43 points by making half of his 30 shot attempts and nine of his 10 foul shots. While he committed five turnovers, he made his usual impact in other facets of the game with six rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Luke Kennard: A-minus
With Marcus Smart out of action again, Kennard got 28 minutes of playing time versus the Pacers. He made two of his four shot attempts, both of which were 3-pointers, giving him eight points. He also contributed two rebounds and two assists.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B-minus
Vanderbilt got onto the court for 12 minutes, as Rui Hachimura missed his second game in a row. He made both of his shot attempts, including a 3-pointer, and he finished with five points, one rebound and one steal.
Maxi Kleber: B
Kleber got onto the court for the first time since March 8, and he definitely contributed to this victory. In 11 minutes, he got four rebounds and had two steals and one assist, and he scored one basket on an alley-oop pass from Doncic.
Bronny James: B
The younger James checked in along with his father late in the third quarter, and he ended up getting 13 minutes of playing time. He scored on a dunk after cutting down the baseline and getting a pass from Kennard, and he later hit a pull-up jumper from the elbow area. He also chipped in one rebound, one assist, two steals and one block.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. ends road trip with win over Pacers