With a large presence of Lakers fans in the stands, all eyes were on LeBron and Haliburton, but the master of the first quarter was an overwhelming Davis.
The Los Angeles center, who suffers from volatility but who, when he wants to, is one of the most ruthless interiors in the league, became a giant in the zone, crushed everyone who came in front of him and finished the early period with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Haliburton was suffocated by the Lakers defense, which was very aggressive and tenacious from the start. The point guard had not lost a ball in the previous two games, but in the first quarter alone he lost two, both stolen by LeBron.
As the Lakers put on their boots in the paint (26 points and 20 rebounds among the entire team) and were not afraid to play with the devilish speed that Indiana presents, the Pacers found some relief at the edge to avoid falling behind after a first quarter of promising sensations for the Californians (34-29).
Reaves, already one of the Lakers’ mainstays, came in very inspired and performed strongly as a reserve.
But it was LeBron who then called for the floor, flashing muscle in the paint and showing that, now in his 40s, he has even more strength, drive and character than many 20-somethings.
At 3:27 before halftime (52-49) LeBron added his third foul and a chill ran through the players in purple and gold as they are usually a fiercely competitive team with ‘King James’ on the court and also a team full of doubts. without their leader.
But an electric and ravenous Reaves came to the rescue, reaching halftime with 22 points after dazzling with 15 points in the second quarter alone.
Of LeBron, Davis and Reaves With full performance and undeniable control of the paint (52 points at halftime), it seemed that the Lakers had all the ingredients to open a gap and leave the Pacers very affected, but they went by a narrow 65-60 to the locker room.
The reasons? An astonishing and impressive 21-of-22 in free throws for Indiana, who, far from their most explosive version, clung to the personnel line like a lifeline; and 0 of 6 for the Lakers from three-point range.
“Only five points! We’re good, we’re good…” Haliburton told his teammates on the way to the break.
But upon their return, the Pacers had not covered their massive hole in their interior defense, a wound that LeBron continued to rub salt in until the Lakers got their first +10 of the night.
The fourth mistake of a Myles Turner vCompletely outmatched by Davis, it seemed like the ideal moment for LeBron’s men to take it one step further and shoot up the scoreboard.
However, the game continued at a very tough pace, with numerous fouls and a desperate mistake from three-point range (the Lakers did not make their first three-point shot until the end of the third quarter).
Davis also appeared to be in physical discomfort, but he still had enough strength to complete a great “alley-oop” served by LeBron.
Haliburton provided some sparks, but no teammate took a step forward. A fantastic triple at the buzzer from Bennedict Mathurin ensured that they still had a lot of life in the last quarter (90-82).
A three-pointer from Obi Toppin and a steal from TJ McConnell, He was a hugely unruly agitator for the Pacers bench, allowing Rick Carlisle’s team to come within just three points, aiming to take off (92-89 with 10:30 to go).
But on every attack by the Pacers, the Lakers relied on a huge Davis, who returned the +10 for the Lakers with a tremendous dunk and let out a shout that was heard across the Nevada desert to confirm that the Los Angeles franchise was Ángeles will win her first title since the ‘bubble’ ring in 2020.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
