First Thoughts: Los Angeles 99, Indiana 93
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Pacers dropped an unsightly 99-93 game to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Marginal players performed above their heads for the injury-riddled Lakers. None were better than the sensational Steve Blake, who had 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks while playing 35 minutes at both guard positions. Over-the-hill veteran Antawn Jamison chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds, including a wide-open, game-changing 3 with 58 seconds left that gave Los Angeles a six-point lead. Ex-Pacer Metta World Peace, the former Ron Artest, had 19 points and seven rebounds and held Paul George (20 points) to 6-of-20 shooting. George Hill led the Pacers with 27 points, but Indiana shot 37 percent from the field and did not resemble the team that holds second place in the Eastern Conference.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Kobe Bryant played one quarter on a severely sprained left ankle, missing all four of his shots without scoring, before the Lakers shut him down. Starting power forward Pau Gasol, one of the league’s most skilled big men, missed the game with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash played through injuries. Yet the Lakers competed all night and earned a great win. Questions about coach Mike D’Antoni are unmerited. He clearly has Los Angeles determined to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Pacers endured a night in which they had unusually low energy. At one point World Peace beat three Pacers to a rebound because they casually waited for the ball to come down, not expecting a Laker to pursue. Evidently, Indiana let down mentally when Bryant left the game. Few excuses are available for the loss, especially from a team that fancies itself an NBA Finals contender. The Pacers struggled mightily to defend without fouling and were 5-for-14 in the final five minutes. Lately Indiana has displayed an unusual tendency to struggle to make plays down the stretch of close home games.
KEY NUMBER: The Pacers’ starting frontcourt went 13-of-45 from the field. A winning formula that is not.
TURNING POINT: The game was tied with 90 seconds remaining when Nash found Howard deep under the basket against Roy Hibbert, who fouled Howard as the Lakers center made the shot. Howard’s free throw gave L.A. a 90-87 lead it would not relinquish.
NEXT: The Pacers visit Philadelphia on Saturday night for the second night of a back-to-back. The 76ers have lost both games against Indiana and continue to play without injured star Andrew Bynum.
