On January 20, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Pacers at home and failed to win consecutive games. In this campaign, the Lakers once led by 15 points, and were completed by the opponent in the final quarter. Le Ver scored 22 points in the final quarter, becoming the number one contributor to the Pacers' reversal. The Lakers' defensive end was exploded in the late quarter, inseparable from coach Vogel's stubborn use of a small lineup. Throughout the fourth quarter, Howard didn't get any 1 second playing time.
In the first half, the Lakers played smoothly, leading to 15 points at one point. But in the second half, especially at the end of the third quarter, the situation on the field suddenly changed. The Lakers players began to get very lax, and the Pacers quickly overtook. The last verse belongs entirely to Le Vere. He scored 20 points on 9-of-10 in the quarter. But even with Le Vere's frantic offensive output, Vogel remained indifferent and did not send Howard.
Throughout the game, Le Ver scored 30 points, Sabonis Jr. scored 20 points, 12 boards and 10 assists, and Brogdon scored 19 points. As for the Lakers, although James got 30 points and 12 boards, there was nothing James could do in the face of an out-of-control defense in the last quarter! In the last 20 seconds, the Lakers trailed by 9 points, and they had also given up the game early, and the scene was no longer quiet at this time, and boos rang out.
In fact, the Lakers' home stadium was very quiet for most of the fourth quarter. Because the Lakers players don't have too many moments to cheer. The whole arena is silent and dead, making people wonder if this is still the Lakers' home stadium? Maybe Lakers fans are also a little tired, what happened to their team? Maybe after tonight, the Lakers may really usher in a huge change!
In the final moments of the game, James also forced a basket. Then he bowed his head in frustration and walked back. In this campaign, James got the 10,000th rebound of his career, becoming the first player in history with 30,000 points + 10,000 boards + 9,000 assists, but he had no choice but to become an empty cut. Howard also reached a milestone in this campaign, surpassing Thurmond to be in the top ten of the NBA's rebounding list. Unfortunately, none of this has been able to bring victory to the Lakers.