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The Lakers made their return to Los Angeles but carried their losing streak back to Staples Center in a 104-92 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Welcome back, I guess, you now officially have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
This may come as a surprise, but the Lakers let the game slip away in the -- you guessed it -- third quarter. The team did well enough to keep the game even at 49 going into halftime, but getting outscored 30-20 in the third was the nail in the Lakers rickety, rackety, coffin.
The Lakers got killed in the paint, giving up 32 points. The Lakers got killed in second chance points, giving up 11 points. The Lakers did Laker things, aside from actually doing a reasonable job of keeping their turnovers down. They only coughed up the rock nine times. That's down from the bajillion they gave up per game over the past forever games.
Los Angeles is off until Friday when the Charlotte Bobcats come to town. Prepare for the Ramon Sessions revenge game, his anger still burning hotter than ever since his few-month stay with the purple and gold. This game could've been a lot worse,
But in a game where Paul George only went 4-of-21 while Indiana shot just 42 percent as a team, this was about as winnable against one of the best teams in the NBA as they'll get. Unfortunately they couldn't deliver. At least you got to enjoy 13 dimes from Kendall Marshall and another double-double from Pau Gasol. He finished with a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Onward and... well... onward. Your 2013-2014 Lakers are flirting with the bottom of the conference.
