Lakers collapse in upsetting loss to Pacers.
The Lakers appeared to be on track after a huge statement win against a playoff Jazz team, as they looked on the verge of winning leading for the majority of tonight, until the fourth quarter, where they were outscored 35–24, eventually falling to the Pacers 111–104 to drop their season record back under .500 at 22–23.
The Pacers’ previous road win came on November 22nd against the Chicago Bulls, making tonight’s defeat even more difficult to digest as Indiana ended a two-month road win skid.
With the job security of head coach Frank Vogel looming, it was reported that his head coach position is being evaluated “game-by-game,” with the Lakers’ disappointing struggles throughout the season in a championship-contending team.
After the game, LeBron spoke on the coaching staff, saying: “Coaching staff has been great. They’ve put us in a position to succeed and we have to take care of business. There’s no blame.”
LeBron was the Lakers leading scorer for the 15th game in a row (starting on Dec, 19th vs Bulls), finishing with 30 points on 50% (11-for-22) shooting overall, adding 12 rebounds, 5 assists in 37 minutes played.
In an inconsistent first year with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook saw himself benched in the final 3:52 left in the game, as he finished with 14 points on 29% shooting, despite shooting 4-for-6 (67%) from three.
After the game, Frank Vogel spoke on his decision to sub out Westbrook for the final four minutes of the game, saying: “Playing the guys that I thought were going to win the game”
It was later reported that Westbrook left the arena without speaking to the media after the loss.
The Lakers’ next matchup comes on a road against the 8–38 Orlando Magic in their first away game in a six-game road trip.