Indiana vs LA Lakers Prediction: the Visitors Desperatley Want a Victory

In the previous two championships, the Lakers ended a multi-year losing streak in Indianapolis, beating the Pacers twice in a row. Will the Lakers be stronger this time, too?

The Pacers have lost ten of their last 11 games. Rick Carlisle's team never replaced Tyrese Halliburton, who was injured. Indiana's primary point guard will return to the court, perhaps against the Lakers. Will the Pacers start winning again? The team could use a winning streak, considering they've already fallen to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings and are about to leave the play-in zone.

In the last game, Indiana defeated Memphis by 12 points in the first half on their home court but lost the second half by -24 and failed 100:112.

LeBron James and his men can't get out of the bottom of the West standings, sitting 13th. The team needs a winning streak, but should the judges slip up against the Lakers, as was the case with Dallas and Boston, or should LeBron take an unscheduled day off, as was against Brooklyn. With all the setbacks, it's worth noting that the progress of Darwin Ham's team is evident. If this continues, it will surely make the playoffs - only two wins away from the top 10.

Last game, the Lakers played at the legendary Madison Square Garden against the Knicks and managed to win in overtime - 129:123 (114:114). LeBron finished with a triple-double of 28 points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists, and more importantly, he took another step towards becoming the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA. James is only 88 points away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record.

Just as Alexander Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky in the NHL, LeBron James is chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBA. Why wouldn't LeBron, in perfect shape, shine again in the game against Indiana and bring his team a significant victory? It's hard to find any reason why he shouldn't. The Pacers have won only one game in almost a month. Tyrese Halliburton might return to the court, but the point guard will still need to play a few games to get in shape.