WATCH: Lakers’ LeBron James Does His Best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Impression During Win Over Pacers

The Los Angeles Lakers survived a scare last night, as they beat the Indiana Pacers. Despite an underwhelming game from LeBron James, the rest of the team fought on both ends to win the game.

The Lakers star shot a poor 5-13 from the field and 1-4 from three. Although he finished with just 18 points, his first bucket last night was a work of art. With Justin Holiday guarding him, LeBron decided to post up. After backing him down and getting closer to the paint, LeBron caught him by surprise as he brought out the hook shot. He did his best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar impression to get his first points on the board.

Although Bron is a few inches shorter than the six-time NBA champion, his execution was perfect and the defenders never stood a chance. Kareem used to tower over the defenders already, so it was an unstoppable move for him. But LeBron used his athleticism to get him the speed advantage and pulled off the move before defenders could react.

Can LeBron James and the Lakers fare better in the second half of the season?

The Lakers finished as the best team in the Western Conference last season. But this season, they are far from achieving that. They are currently third, behind the Jazz, and the Suns. They were fourth prior to last night’s win, so this was a step in the right direction.

Their offensive shortcomings in the absence of Anthony Davis have been evident, which is putting pressure on LeBron and the rest of the team to step up. So far, they haven’t responded to it well and have lost a few surprising games. They also went on a 10 game run where they won just three games.

LeBron is trying his best and is playing a lot more minutes than he would have expected to. But that is still not enough for the Lakers, who need improved and consistent contributions from players like Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma.

The Lakers have four winnable games next before they face the Suns in a rematch. They will be eager to win that after losing to them just before the All-Star break. The Suns are gritty defensively, so this will be a big test for their lackluster offense. Fans will hope the Lakers can improve in this half of the season, and return to the top before the playoffs.

ALSO READ – ‘Saved Us So Far’: LeBron James Rings Precautionary Bell to Teammates About Lakers’ Shortcomings