Lakers’ shooting struggles continue in 115-108 loss to Pacers

What Lakers Coach Luke Walton saw from his team early Tuesday night in their 115-108 loss to the Indiana Pacers, he just didn’t understand.

“I was thrilled with the way we competed in the second half, but I thought the first half was the worst half of basketball we’ve had all season,” Walton said. “We did a good job of digging ourselves out of it, but it’s tough on the road to win that way. …

“I would’ve thought after losing two games we’d come out champing at the bits to be able to play again and try to get a win. That team lost two straight as well. That’s how they won it. They wanted it.

“Losing is no fun. I don’t know why we didn’t come out with that intensity or hunger that we should have after losses.”

After trailing 62-51 at the half, the Lakers made their move against a Pacers team (2-2) that broke their own two-game losing streak at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Lakers’ intensity and energy improved dramatically in the second half. But just as they began to peer out of the hole they’d dug for themselves, even taking a lead with under two minutes to play, Pacers star Paul George shoved them back down.

George scored the Pacers’ last 12 points, and finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, four steals, six turnovers and a blocked shot.

“He made tough shots,” Lakers forward Julius Randle said. “Fadeaways, jerking it out of bounds, all types of stuff. You gotta pat him on the butt. We got open looks on the other end, but they didn’t go down. That’s kind of been the story the past three games, just getting to that point where we really have a chance to win the game and put the nail in the coffin. Missed shots and it didn’t go our way at the other end.”

The game started strangely as the game clock in the arena malfunctioned. Officials halted the game at several points to try to fix the issue. With 11:21 remaining in the first quarter, the clock stopped working altogether. The game progressed for nearly six minutes of playing time before the clock was reset and functioning correctly.

During that time, the Lakers lost the 4-0 lead with which they began the game and trailed by nine points by the end of the first quarter. George already scored 10 by that point and the Lakers shot only 35%.

“Just kind of a lull in aggressiveness,” Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. said. “We kind of let them dictate the flow of the game instead of us. That never goes too well for a young team.”

The Lakers also committed eight fouls in the first quarter — two early ones each from point guard D’Angelo Russell and Randle. Walton sat both players for most of the first quarter after their fouls.

The Lakers clamped down defensively in the second half, but their shooting struggles continued, particularly from three-point range. They made only six of 28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc.

That continued a trend in their winless trip. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers shot 21.9% on three-pointers, Against the Utah Jazz, the first game of this four-game trip, the Lakers made only 38.1% of their shots overall.

It was part of the reason why, after Nance scored on a two-handed put-back dunk with 1:55 left in the game, that lead didn’t last.

That, and George.

“He did what he was supposed to do,” Russell said. “He’s the only All-Star on the floor. When you’re the All-Star on the floor, that’s your time to shine and finish games. That’s what he did.”

George followed Nance’s dunk with a turnaround fadeaway jumper. Then an 18-footer. Then he made four free throws. The Lakers, meanwhile, missed their last five shots.

In each of their past three losses, the Lakers have had single-digit deficits late in the game.

“We just gotta keep at it,” Randle said. “Putting ourselves in positions to win. We could easily be 4-0 but we’re 1-3 right now.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Twitter: @taniaganguli