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Lakers Race Past Pacers With Big Second Half

After a first half marred by injuries to both members of their starting backcourt, the Lakers not only held strong but overwhelmed visiting Indiana in the third quarter.

Nick Young returned to action after hyperextending his left knee and was instrumental in Los Angeles’ 108-96 victory. *(see below)

The Lakers (16-31) ended their five-game losing streak in a big way, as Lou Williams provided the firepower with 27 points and four 3-pointers. Young added to the arsenal by hitting five triples toward all 15 of his points.

“My adrenaline was going and I just felt like I had to get back out there,” Young said. “It’s a little sore, but this win made it feel much better.”

Young’s speedy recovery was even more crucial considering that D’Angelo Russell was only able to play one minute before suffering a mild MCL sprain in his right knee and a strained right calf. He will be re-evaluated on Saturday to determine his status moving forward.

“When it happens in a game, you got to move on from it,” head coach Luke Walton said. “You have to stay focused on what you’re doing, who is coming in and what kind of plays we can run because groups haven’t played together.

“So obviously you’re hoping they are not too badly hurt, but you have to give your attention and focus right back to what’s happening in the game.”

L.A. hardly missed a step as it managed to enter halftime down by only two.

Indiana (22-20) hit the first shot of the third quarter, but the Lakers roared back with an 18-4 run keyed by Brandon Ingram.

The rookie hit two 3-pointers while adding a layup and an assist during this stretch, as Los Angeles seized a 10-point advantage.

The Pacers soon watered that back down to three, but the Lakers buried their opponent with a responding 11-2 burst for an 80-68 lead.

Williams then took over the fourth quarter with 11 points, as L.A. pushed its lead as high as 20 while only briefly dipping below double digits.

The 11-year veteran claimed that his success wasn’t a product of matchups or strategies, simply stating that “I just hoop.”

“I don’t even see the person in front of me,” Williams said. “At this point, I don’t think that even matters to me. The only thing I think about is if a team is gonna push me right, I just take what’s given.”

While Williams lit up the scoreboard, Tarik Black (13 rebounds) and Timofey Mozgov (11) powered the purple and gold on the glass.

The duo helped take advantage of Indiana’s vulnerability on the boards, as the Lakers won the rebounding battle, 51-37.

“I just saw them scrap harder (because) they wanted the ball more,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “They went after the ball.”

The Lakers also overcame 24 turnovers committed by making them contagious for the Pacers.

L.A. scored 29 points on its visitors’ 21 giveaways, dousing a hot team that had won seven of its last eight games.

“Defensively we made them force so many tough shots,” said Jordan Clarkson, who had 12 points and five steals but also seven turnovers. “We got out in transition, got steals. We were playing together, making the extra pass on offense. We were knocking down shots.

”We were having fun today. That’s how we have to expect to play every night.”

B.I. vs. PG
In just the fourth game of his career nearly three months ago, Ingram “wasn’t ready” for the task of matching up with three-time All-Star Paul George, according to his head coach.

Walton said that the Lakers’ second-overall draft pick should have been more locked in for a matchup with one of the premier players at his position. Instead, George finished with 30 points — including all of Indiana’s final 12 — while Ingram had only two.

This time around, the 19-year-old stood his ground while starting in place of Luol Deng (sprained wrist).

Highlighted by his electric third-quarter, Ingram collected 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists, while playing some pesky defense on George, who finished with 21 points.

“His activity level was great — the way he was pushing the ball and getting deflections,” Walton said. “I think that that’s the player, if he continues to work, he will become. That type of guy who is filling stat sheets and making game-winning plays all over the court.”

Notes
The Lakers improved to 8-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 points. … Indiana’s Al Jefferson scored all of his season-high 20 points in the first half and only played six minutes of the second. … Julius Randle had 16 points. … The Lakers announced that Larry Nance Jr. will be available for limited minutes in Sunday’s game against Dallas. … A crowd of 18,997 sold out Staples Center.

*[editor’s note] Jan. 27, 2017 : – The NBA announced that a scoring error was made during the Indiana Pacers-Los Angeles Lakers game on Jan. 20 at Staples Center, which impacted the final score of the game but not the final outcome of the game. https://www.nba.com/lakers/releases/nba-corrects-scoring-error-from-pacers-lakers-game