Lakers overcome officiating woes at the Pacers’ expense in comeback win

It was a splendid Thursday night for the Indiana Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton being named a first-time All-Star on his return from injury following a 10-game absence, but the Los Angeles Lakers managed to pull the mat on them on the road as LeBron James led a comeback in the fourth quarter for yet another dub at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Haliburton led the Pacers with 26 points and 12 assists while Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith combined for 44 markers. Anthony Davis spearheaded LA with a 31-point, 14-rebound double-double while James inched closer to the all-time scoring record with 26.

The Indiana Pacers are the latest officiating victims as the Lakers get a lot of love in their comeback win on the road

Let’s get this out of the way: Indiana’s inability to close out games despite mounting a double-digit lead for the most part — a troubling recurring theme this season — should probably get the bigger share of the blame here as the veteran Lakers’ defense cramped up on them in the final period.

Still, there’s credence in pointing out the discrepancies in calls made by the officials in this contest. While the Lakers shot 31 free throws, the Pacers only got six for the entire game. For reference, LA was only called for 10 personal fouls in this one, while Indiana was tabbed for more than double with 21, nine (9!) of which came in the final frame.

Sure, the Lakers went inside and penetrated the lane more, but the referees missed a bunch of calls favoring the Pacers in this game, particularly on Haliburton and Nesmith. Self-inflicted wounds are not to be excused, but bullets coming from the officials simply cannot be dodged.

Anyway, Indiana can only deal with the things it can control. If this team is serious about wanting to play games beyond April, saving themselves by having that killer mentality and not squandering leads instead of having to rely on whistles takes the utmost primacy.

Fortunately, with Haliburton back, the Indiana Pacers have a much better chance at reinstating their playoff bid in the East after slipping badly in the standings in their last ten games. Hopefully, the team can exhibit better maturity down the road and lineup decisions become crisper (hey, where was Math in this game, coach?).

Up next: Tomorrow vs Sacramento