Jordan Clarkson had a simple explanation for one of the best nights of his
career.
“The rim liked me,” he said.
Safe to say that the Lakers loved Clarkson, as he was the engine of their 99-86
win over Indiana. The sixth man erupted for 33 points — just two shy of his
career-high — including 16 in the fourth quarter alone.
Clarkson put on a scoring clinic, hitting 14 of his 19 shots, from fast-break
buckets and mid-range pull-ups to driving layups and a particularly nice
backdoor cut that got him going in the opening quarter.
Clarkson was also excellent as a playmaker, constantly making the right
decisions in pick-and-rolls, whether it was a shot for himself of pass to an
open roller or cutter.
He added seven rebounds and seven assists to his scoring binge, helping fill a
void left by injured point guard Lonzo Ball, who leads his team in both
categories.
The Lakers (16-29) won without Ball for the first time in eight tries.
“I was just hooping today,” Clarkson said. “I was comfortable, not thinking too
much and that’s it.”
Jordan Clarkson has done a nice job of making plays in Lonzo’s absence. 15 pts
and 7 ast in 17 minutes so far, including this nice drive-and-kick dime to Hart.
pic.twitter.com/nCymKpdbi5
Along with Ball, the Lakers were also without Brandon Ingram and Kentavious
Caldwell-Pope, as three-fifths of their starting lineup was injured.
To make matters worse, the Lakers shot a stomach-turning 2-of-14 on free throws
— the worst clip by a winning team in recorded NBA history (since 1963).
Plus, Indiana (24-22) had 17 more shot attempts thanks to significant advantages
in turnovers and offensive rebounds.
But the Lakers made up for it with some of their best defense of the year.
The Pacers shot just 38.1 percent from the field, including a ghastly 2-of-25
from 3-point range.
Indiana star Victor Oladipo racked up 25 points, but needed 26 shots to get
there.
“Our defense was awesome tonight, and that was the challenge all day long to the
guys,” Walton said. “It doesn’t matter who’s out, how many guys are out if we
defend the way we are capable of.”
La jugada que resume la performance defensiva de los Lakers ante Indiana. El
trabajo de Hart sobre Oladipo, rotaciones correctas y a tiempo, y proteccion
tanto en el perimetro como en la pintura. pic.twitter.com/XEpZOBp10K
Fittingly, it was Clarkson and defense that won the game down the stretch. The
Lakers’ lead dipped to two with five minutes left before they roared back with a
15-2 run.
Clarkson ignited from deep, hitting three 3-pointers: one looping around a
screen, a heat-check four-point play, and a pick-and-roll pull-up.
The 25-year-old made all six of his shots in the fourth and scored a dozen
points in the final five minutes, leading his team to a fourth straight home
win.
Lakers were in a pinch (up only 2) and fed the hot hand. Jordan Clarkson
meanders into the paint before bolting back around a Nance screen for the open
3.JC with 12 points in the final 5 minutes. pic.twitter.com/GzuxDlH3W0
Notes L.A. shot 55.0 percent from the field, as Larry Nance Jr. hit all five
shots toward 10 points and 11 rebounds. … The Lakers scored 60 points in the
paint, and the Pacers had 58. … A crowd of 18,997 sold out STAPLES Center.
Got that #LakersWin
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Jan 19, 2018 at 10:18pm PST
Player: Jordan Clarkson
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/180119-lakers-pacers-wrap
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