Coming off a 2-game win streak on the road, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to the Crypto.com Arena to face the Indiana Pacers. With both teams having their star players, the contest was as entertaining as one could expect, and it went down to the wire.
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Despite being on the injury report, LeBron James and Anthony Davis suited up for the bout and ended up with some great performances. While AD recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds, the King had a 21/7/3 outing.
For the Pacers, it was Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin who combined for 47 points, 15 rebounds, and 20 of the team’s 43 field goals. And finally, it was the buzzer-beater shot by Andrew Nembhard that helped Indiana grab a 116-115 win over LAL.
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Rookie Bennedict Mathurin outplays LeBron James
Even before the 2022 Draft was held, Mathurin had some shocking comments about LBJ. Displaying his competitiveness, the 20-year-old stated that LeBron would have to show him that “the King” is a better player.
“A lot of people say he’s great. I want to see how great he is,” Mathurin said. “I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”
With Bennedict recording more points, rebounds, field goals, and a better box plus-minus in fewer minutes, there is absolutely no doubt that the rookie outplayed the 4-time MVP.
NBA Twitter couldn’t stop raving about the youngster for backing up his earlier comments regarding facing James.
Mathurin tops the Rookie Ladder
Drafted by the Pacers with their #6 pick, Benn has been the perfect fit for that 6th man role for Rick Carlise and co. have been looking for.
Currently sitting on the 1st position of the latest rookie ladder, the former Arizona Wildcat has been averaging a staggering 19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 43.9% shooting from the field.
Apart from Haliburton’s All-Star-type performance early in the season, Mathurin has been a huge reason why the Pacers have an impressive 12-8 record and sit on the 4th seed of the Eastern Conference.
Having gone at it against the likes of Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and other big names, it is proven that this rookie won’t bow down against any superstar. Having such a mentality has been extremely beneficial for the organization, and hopefully, the other players feed off Mathurin’s fearlessness.
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