Los Angeles continued its dominant play against the NBA’s bottom feeders by defeating the lowly Indiana Pacers 128-117 behind 44 points from Luka Doncic on Friday night.
Advertisement
Los Angeles (39-25) has won five of its last six games. Defeat all teams with 31 wins or less in the season so far. The Lakers are 26-7 against teams below .500 so far this season.
“Nights like this can change the trajectory of teams and players,” guard Marcus Smart said. “So hopefully this win and tonight, the way we won it, boosts our confidence.”
For most of this year, Los Angeles has found a way to beat the teams they are “supposed to beat.” The concern remains when they face the NBA’s elite teams.
Through March 2026, the Lakers have struggled against top-tier NBA opponents, with a disappointing 6-13 record against the league’s top 10 teams. This season, Los Angeles has a 14-19 record against teams with a record of .500 or better, which is among the worst marks for a top-six seed in the Western Conference.
Advertisement
When playing against the league’s best, the Lakers have shown significant struggle with a net rating of -12.9 in those games against the NBA’s top 10 teams, according to Cleaning The Glass.
With upcoming matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Chicago Bulls, a rematch against the Denver Nuggets and two consecutive games against the Houston Rockets. It’s the perfect time for the Lakers to find themselves to finish the season strong.
“It could be the perfect time or not,” Luka Doncic said. “We just have to go into those games with the same mentality. Obviously, each of those teams has great players. They are winning games. So first we have to take it game by game and then try to win all those games.”
If the Lakers are preparing to challenge for the championship, they will have to prove that they can beat the best teams in the league.
Advertisement
Maybe Sunday afternoon is the start of things, as they defeated the New York Knicks 110-97 at home without LeBron James. The Lakers looked like the tougher team looking to prove a point in victory.
“We played hard, stuck to the game plan and competed,” guard Austin Reaves said. “That’s what it came down to. I thought we played harder than them and set the tone early and had a really good third quarter.”
With a tough stretch ahead, Los Angeles will look to improve their conference standings and prove to the league and themselves that they are truly contenders.