Getty Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a huge win over the Indiana Pacers on February 3. After being down by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and nearly that much in the fourth, they came all the way back and earned a 112-11 victory. After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle sounded off on Lakers big man Anthony Davis.
“He’s an amazing player. I mean, you talk about a guy that makes the game look easy – I mean, wow,” Carlisle said via the team’s official YouTube channel. “And, you know, he has [a] major impact at both ends. So, you know, if he’s healthy in the next 30 games, or however many they have left, and, you know, they got LeBron, and Westbrook’s playing at a high level, and their role players do their job, I mean, this is a dangerous team. In the West, it’s pretty clustered up. They’re winning right now. You know, strange things happen around the All-Star break. I mean, they’re getting it going. But, you know, Anthony Davis is, you know, he’s always been a special player. It’s always just been, you know, staying on the floor because his greatness has never been questioned ever.”
Davis was a big reason why the Lakers were able to earn a win over the Pacers. He finished the night with a game-high 31 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with two assists, a steal, and two blocks. The star big man shot 13-of-27 from the field.
He was supported by LeBron James, who delivered a solid game for LA as well. James ended the game with 26 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 11-of-19 shooting overall and 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
Tyrese Haliburton Delivers Frustrated Rant
After the game, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton was frustrated. He made his return after missing 10 straight games with an injury, but he threw some shade at the Lakers regarding the lack of foul calls going Indiana’s way in the fourth quarter.
“Poor fourth quarter all around,” Haliburton said via the Pacers UK Twitter account. “I think we didn’t get our first foul in the fourth until about 30 seconds. I’m not going to say anything, but what was the tweet? Sleepless nights? So, I don’t know, man. I can’t control everything out there, we can’t control everything out there. We gotta be better. It’s not on that. But man, they must be a really good defensive team. [Only] one foul in a whole quarter of basketball. But man, what can you do? We gotta be better. Fifteen [fourth-quarter] points isn’t acceptable.”
Jeanie Buss Discusses LeBron James’ Frustrations
The February 9 NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Lakers will likely be scouring the market for potential moves. As things stand, they aren’t a true title contender – and James isn’t happy about that.
During an appearance on the Know Mercy podcast with Stephen A. Smith, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss discussed James’ frustrations.
“I mean, unless he’s winning, he’s not going to be happy,” Buss explained. “That’s him. That’s what drives him. And I could see why he would be frustrated. We’re all frustrated with, you know, we’re down four starters, and he’s our only remaining starter, and he’s gotta show up and play. And, the burden’s on him.”