Luka Dončić Drops 43, Lakers Beat Pacers, Finish Road Trip 5-1

The Lakers understood the assignment and while they may not have scored an A+++ in completing it, the work was plenty good. They raced out to a big first quarter lead, and spent most of the game up between 15 and 20 before a late push from Indiana, but the Lakers were never truly threatened and beat the Pacers 137-130 and finish the road trip 5-1. The Lakers were playing without Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, who was downgraded Wednesday with lower back soreness. Still, four of the five starters finished in double figures, paced by Luka Donćić's 43 points. Austin Reaves had a strong second half, LeBron was an assist and a rebound away from a triple double, and Jaxson Hayes had 21 filling in for Ayton. Even Bronny James gave them good minutes off the bench. So all in all, this was a very, very good night. The last game in a long road trip is often a big challenge, and the Lakers never let Indiana think they were going to win. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzk...