LeBron James returned from a one-game suspension to play a starring role as the Lakers defeated the Pacers 124-116 in overtime.
LeBron James contributed a season-high 39 points to lead the Lakers to victory. The Pacers did their best to stretch this affair to overtime but the Lakers prevailed in the end. Russell Westbrook added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. After picking up a suspension due to a fracas in Detroit over the weekend, James delivered on his return. Back to back 3-pointers in overtime helped drag the lakers past Indiana.
LeBron was 13 of 29 from the field and had six assists and five rebounds. Anthony Davis was out because of a flu-like illness so James was tasked with calling the defensive assignments. The Lakers trailed for almost the entire game. They finally took the lead with Malik Monk’s 3-pointer with 4:35 left in regulation.
Down the stretch, James was his usual dominant self as the Lakers won for only the second time in six games. He forced overtime by scoring seven straight points to give the Lakers the lead again. However, a deep three-pointer by Chris Duarte prevented the Lakers from winning in regular time. The key for the Lakers in this game was their strong effort on defense in the second half. After allowing 66 points in the first 24 minutes, They looked more like the team of the previous two seasons. The defense gave up just 50 points in the second half, including overtime.
Los Angeles Lakers
Russell Westbrook had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Malik Monk had 17 points. Carmelo Anthony and Ellington each added 14. … DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds and Dwight Howard had nine.
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Indiana Pacers
Malcolm Brogdon tallied 28 points and added seven rebounds. Domantas Sabonis had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
