Indiana Pacers got back to winning ways on Saturday, with Victor Oladipo playing a vital role in helping his team overcome LA Lakers, winning by a 5-point margin in a close contest.
Having suffered a shock defeat to Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Pacers knew going up against Lakers would be tough, however they responded very well, winning the game by 116-111.
Oladipo was his team’s third-highest scorer in the match, hitting in 22pts and making 7rebs (a joint-highest for his team, and all were defensive rebounds). He had his team’s second-highest assists, setting up his teammates, five times.
Indiana knew they had to be at their best for every second of the match, setting up nicely and dominating Lakers by as much as 15pts in the 1st quarter. Lakers who had Lebron James on the court, started the comeback and even went into the break with a 4pt lead.
The 3rd quarter went to Pacers 33-22, and although the 4th went to Lakers 30-29, Pacers had done enough to earn the victory. Indiana’s TJ Warren was the star of the show, hitting a game-high 39pts to outshine James who made 31pts in the match.
“I think we can do something really special here, even this year in the playoffsβ¦ Who knows, we could go for a big run. Why not us?” Oladipo said after his team’s victory against Lakers.
