Lakers five-game winning streak snapped by Pacers

The Lakers dropped the first game of their road trip, snapping a five-game winning streak to the Pacers on Friday.

All good things must come to an end and the Lakers' win streak did just that on Friday in Indiana. The Pacers earned a 109-90 victory, snapping the Lakers' string of five straight wins.

After missing the last game, Anthony Davis returned Friday night and scored 24 points with 15 rebounds and three assists. LeBron James had a dunk fest in the first half and ended the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

Rui Hachimura started hot, scoring 14 points. Austin Reaves chipped in with 16 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

The 3-point shooting was the biggest factor working against the Lakers in this one as they finished 5-30 from range. The Lakers also turned the ball over 16 times leading to 16 Pacers points.

Both the Lakers and Pacers came out with high energy to start. Although shots weren’t falling, LA was able to find different ways to jumpstart their offense.

A lob from Austin to LeBron had the Indy Laker fans wooing. It was evident that, again, this matchup would be all offense with minimal defense from either team.

Unfortunately, LA’s love affair with turnovers continued as they tallied six in the quarter. At the end of the first, the Pacers were up three.

After a few baskets by LA to start the quarter, the Pacers hit back for a five-point lead. The lead extended to seven as LA started struggling to find some offense. The Lakers revved up their energy again to cut the deficit to four.

Compared to the previous matchups against each other, there are more stretches of being cold this time instead of the consistent offensive onslaught.

A stretch of sloppy basketball by both teams ended with an AD layup that cut the Lakers' deficit to two. In usual Lakers form, they ended the half with a turnover and the Pacers were up five after a 7-2 run.

The start of the third was not so friendly for the Lakers, as the Pacers pushed their lead to nine. After having such success from behind the arc lately, LA had a rough time Friday night, only making two out of 16 attempts since the first half. Even as LA cut the deficit to six, the Pacers immediately pushed it back to 11.

LA’s lack of 3-point makes was becoming a problem as they couldn't find a way to go on a run. D’Angelo Russell, who hadn’t played in their last matchup, was 0-5 from behind the arc through the opening three periods. The Lakers' success relies heavily on D’Lo being a scoring machine, and he was struggling quite a bit in this game.

As the quarter wound down, there wasn’t much good to report. The Lakers were discombobulated and the Pacers' lead was 14 at the end of the third.

A 6-0 run cut the Lakers deficit to eight to start the fourth. The Pacers answered back to extend the lead to 11. The Pacers managed to keep their lead, but the Lakers' energy was picking up and they looked more engaged.

The Lakers were a run and good defensive effort away from making it a game, but they just kept struggling to put together a solid stretch. The Pacers kept pushing their pace and extended their lead to 15. Indiana was the one who adjusted and put in the defensive effort that was lacking in their last matchup.

A 12-0 Pacers scoring run put a dagger into the Lakers' hearts with two minutes left.

Key Takeaways:

Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers. Stop the turnovers. Stop being careless.

The lack of 3-point shooting was a major factor in the Lakers not finding consistency with their offense. Perhaps they were due for one of these games after being so good lately. Flush this game away and be ready to start a new winning streak next game.

The Lakers’ next game is Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets at 3:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.