![\"Jaxson](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260306_006_pacers_at_lakers-544x306.jpg\" "\\"Jaxson")
<\/p>\nLOS ANGELES \u2014 There are nights when the offense runs smoothly, nights when the ball moves, and nights when everything feels under control. And then there are nights like Friday at Crypto.com Arena, when Luka Don\u010di\u0107 turns the entire building into his personal stage.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers rode a breathtaking performance from Don\u010di\u0107 to a 128\u2013117 win over the Indiana Pacers, but the final score barely captures the story of the night. This one was decided long before the final buzzer.<\/p>\n
It was, simply put, the Luka Show.<\/p>\n
A First-Quarter Avalanche<\/p>\n
With LeBron James held out Friday night, the offensive responsibility fell squarely on Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves.<\/p>\n
Don\u010di\u0107 wasted no time accepting the assignment.<\/p>\n
He scored 22 points in the opening quarter, playing all 12 minutes and drilling five three-pointers without a miss. Every time the Pacers seemed to settle defensively, Don\u010di\u0107 found another gear \u2014 a step-back here, a deep pull-up there, and even a banked triple for good measure. It was the fifth time this season Don\u010di\u0107 has scored 20 or more points in the first quarter, the most by any player in a season since play-by-play tracking began in 1996\u201397.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And yes, his former coach noticed.<\/p>\n
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who coached Don\u010di\u0107 earlier in his career, spoke glowingly before the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gonna be an MVP,\u201d Carlisle said. \u201cLuka is the extra special of the most extra special in terms of what he can do on a basketball court.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the end of the night, it looked less like praise and more like prophecy.<\/p>\n
By halftime, Don\u010di\u0107 had already crossed into statistical territory rarely seen.<\/p>\n
According to the Lakers, he became the only player this season to record at least 29 points, six made threes, six rebounds and three assists in a single half \u2014 and remarkably, he\u2019s now done it four times, something no player has accomplished multiple times in the past 30 seasons.<\/p>\n
Still, he wasn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n
Don\u010di\u0107 erupted again in the third quarter, pouring in 15 more points as the Pacers continued searching \u2014 unsuccessfully \u2014 for an answer. Every defensive look failed. Traps, switches, drop coverage \u2014 none of it mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just really imposed his will and took control of the game early,\u201d Lakers head coach JJ Redick said afterward.<\/p>\n
Redick summed up Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s shooting display with a grin.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can make every shot. He can make a step-back left-wing bank shot that line-drives and barely goes above the rim.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By the time Don\u010di\u0107 sat down for good, the outcome was already settled. Reaves made sure of it early in the fourth quarter. With Don\u010di\u0107 resting, Reaves scored seven straight points, pushing the Lakers\u2019 lead to 23 and effectively ending any hopes of a Pacers comeback. He finished with 19 points and five assists, continuing his steady production alongside Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n
Reaves even joked about one of Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s circus shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat shot he made at the end of the third off the glass,\u201d Reaves said. \u201cHe gets bored and tries stuff. Good player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several Lakers filled their roles around the superstar performance. Rui Hachimura, starting in place of James, added 13 points in 23 minutes, while Luke Kennard provided a scoring boost off the bench with 15 points, hitting three of five from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he gets enough credit for what he can do out there,\u201d Kennard said of Don\u010di\u0107. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to watch, but it\u2019s another thing to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Deandre Ayton sidelined by knee soreness, Jaxson Hayes started at center and chipped in nine points and four rebounds, while Marcus Smart added 11 points as Redick carefully managed minutes after Thursday\u2019s back-to-back in Denver.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
Jaxson Hayes #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Friday March 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.<\/p>\n
Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s stat line \u2014 44 points, nine rebounds, five assists in 32 minutes \u2014 was spectacular enough. But he also delivered defensively, finishing with three steals and two blocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know people are not gonna talk about it, never,\u201d Don\u010di\u0107 said about his defense with a smile. \u201cJust trying to do my job. Be more aggressive, more engaged. Just trying to be better on the defensive end.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even need the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
The performance marked his 10th 40-point game of the season, and it came just one night after he picked up his 15th technical foul in Denver \u2014 meaning the next one will trigger a suspension.<\/p>\n
Redick was pleased with how Don\u010di\u0107 handled himself Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had very pleasant conversations with the officials tonight,\u201d Redick said.<\/p>\n
![\"Luka](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260306_010_pacers_at_lakers-544x306.jpg\" "\\"Luka")
<\/p>\n
Jordan Teller – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
Luka Don\u010di\u0107 #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Friday March 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.<\/p>\n
Managing that competitive fire, however, is not something Redick wants extinguished.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a special kind of player. He\u2019s a special kind of person. He\u2019s a special kind of competitor,\u201d Redick said. \u201cI would much rather have someone who\u2019s trying to go out every night and kill than someone you have to literally revive with a defibrillator every other day.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the win, the Lakers improved to 38\u201325, moving within half a game of the Denver Nuggets for fifth place in the Western Conference. The team will take Saturday off before hosting the New York Knicks Sunday afternoon back at Crypto.com Arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 There are nights when the offense runs smoothly, nights when the ball moves, and nights…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":644988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3774],"tags":[1013,7,1586,113,126,3866,32,1698,150,368,1171,326,6,67,114,4536],"class_list":{"0":"post-644987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indiana-pacers","8":"tag-austin-reaves","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-deandre-ayton","11":"tag-indiana","12":"tag-indiana-pacers","13":"tag-indianapacers","14":"tag-jaxson-hayes","15":"tag-la-lakers","16":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","17":"tag-luka-doncic","18":"tag-luke-kennard","19":"tag-marcus-smart","20":"tag-nba","21":"tag-news","22":"tag-pacers","23":"tag-tst-los-angeles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116187004464414670","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}