It was a two-season story for the Lakers. After trampling the Western Conference for most of the 2019-20 campaign, the Lakers hit a brick wall after migrating to Orlando for the reboot. The Lakers had by far the worst bout on Disney, scoring just 95.7 points per 100 possessions, and despite winning the # 1 seed in the Western Conference, this has led to serious concerns about their playoff vitality.
Now LeBron James and the Lakers have only three games remaining before the playoffs begin, and they face a Pacers who, in many ways, play like LA in the postseason. They rely on a great striker for their shot creation (TJ Warren), they take too many mid-range jumpers and live and die for their defense. This makes this a useful yardstick for the Lakers. On Saturday, they play against themselves to some degree, which is a useful exercise before the playoffs.
Game tips at 6 p.m. ET on TNT. You can follow us for live news, updates and analytics.
