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Game Rewind: Pacers 89, Lakers 87

Game Recap

All eyes were fixed on Kobe Bryant as the future Hall of Famer took the floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the final time on Monday night. And though he struggled for much of the night, Bryant put together a memorable fourth-quarter performance, scoring 11 straight points to give the Lakers a late lead.

But Paul George got the last laugh against the legend, driving past Bryant for the game-winning bucket in the final minute, as the Pacers (28-24) held off the Lakers (11-43), 89-87.

"This one was an epic finish," George said.

Bryant, set to retire at season's end after 20 NBA seasons, got a loud ovation from the capacity crowd during pregame introductions (the Pacers did not do a pregame tribute for Bryant at the Lakers' request). On the court, however, he showed signs of his age. Bryant made just one of his first eight shots in the first half — an uncontested breakaway layup — before burying a 3-pointer in the final minute. Bryant finished the half with eight points and two rebounds.

The Pacers' offense didn't get off to the best start, as they struggled to find a rhythm from beyond the 3-point arc, but the home team finally seized control with a 16-2 run midway through the second quarter that opened up a double-digit lead.

Indiana led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers closed the period with a 12-0 run over the final four minutes to climb back within five.

Bryant re-entered the game with 4:44 left on the clock. He missed his first two shots, putting him at just 2-for-16 on the night, before he finally caught fire. The 18-time All-Star scored on three straight possessions, burying a baseline jumper and then two 3-pointers, the latter of which tied the game at 79 with 3:03 to play.

On the Lakers' next possession, Bryant went around a pick and launched a contested three from the right wing, burying his third straight triple to give the Lakers their first lead since the 7:05 mark in the second quarter.

"He came out and performed late, that’s what a lot of the fans came to see," George said. "For a second I was stunned. He hit shot after shot after shot."

Pacers rookie forward Myles Turner hit on one of two free throws on the other end. Bryant missed twice on the next Lakers possession, but both times his teammates corralled offensive rebounds, the latter of which resulted in a Brandon Bass putback dunk that made it 84-80 with 1:26 to play.

Jordan Clarkson gave the Pacers a second life, fouling George on a corner three with 1:11 remaining. The All-Star starter calmly knocked down all three foul shots to cut the deficit to one.

Bryant tried to play the hero once again, but missed a tough fadeaway jumper over two defenders. The Lakers knocked the ball out of bounds, giving the ball back to Indiana.

George got the ball on the left wing and drove past Bryant, his childhood idol, taking it all the way to the rim and converting the layup plus the foul. After his free throw, the Pacers led by two.

"That was great," Pacers center Ian Mahinmi said of George's big play. "Especially because Kobe made so many plays before, so for him to go right back at him and make a huge play, and make the free throw behind that, it's such a good thing. That's an All-Star battle right there."

Bryant got a look at a go-ahead 3-pointer, but George contested the shot just enough to force the miss. Monta Ellis knocked down two free throws on the other end to effectively seal the victory.

"I pulled the rabbit out of the hat and then the rabbit disappeared," Bryant quipped after the game.

George, fresh off back-to-back 30-point performances, led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds. Hill added 15 points and six assists, while Turner added 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

Bryant led the Lakers with 19 points, though he made just 6-of-25 shots. Second-year forward Julius Randle added a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 19 boards.

"I’m not unhappy that’s the last time I face Kobe," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel joked after the win. "He was great. Kobe is one of the best ever."

Former Pacers All-Star center Roy Hibbert did not dress for Monday's game — his first back at The Fieldhouse since being traded to the Lakers in July — due to a sprained ankle. Hibbert had not missed a game for the Lakers this season prior to Monday.

Having won two straight games, the Pacers will look to put together a real winning streak heading into the All-Star break on Wednesday night, when they host the Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 PM.

Inside the Numbers

George has led the Pacers in scoring in three consecutive games.

Indiana outscored the Lakers 44-22 in the paint in the victory.

The Pacers won despite shooting a season-worst 14.8 percent from 3-point range. The Pacers made just 4-of-27 attempts from beyond the arc.

Indiana won for the first time all season when scoring less than 90 points. In fact, Monday's game was just the fourth time all year that the Blue & Gold failed to reach 90 points.

Randle's 19 rebounds tied his career high. The former University of Kentucky standout has recorded four straight double-doubles and 21 overall on the year.

You Can Quote Me On That

"I’m just happy we won this. It was just competing. I think he enjoyed it, I definitely enjoyed it. Just seeing if he still had it. We shared a lot of laughs and had a lot of moments tonight." -George

"We had to stay the course. We knew it was a game of runs and they have that guy over there who is a legend. We knew it was going to be a tough one and they’re not out of it if they have him on their team." -Hill

"Kobe came and did what everybody expected from him. He hit incredible shots and got them back in the game. For us, it was actually a good win because we had to execute down the stretch. We got some stops and that’s a good win." -Mahinmi

"These fans have always been tough on me. From what I could tell and by watching on TV, it's as close to a college atmosphere as you can get with the special sections that they have and all the chanting that they do. It was very grateful for me to get a cheer from them at the end." -Bryant on his memories playing in Indiana

Stat of the Night

The Pacers held the Lakers to a season-low 31.2 percent shooting percentage in the win. Indiana is now 11-1 on the year when limiting their opponents to a sub-40 percent field goal percentage.

Noteworthy

  • With the win, the Pacers swept the regular season series with the Lakers for the second time in the last three seasons, but only the third time ever.
  • Mahinmi took an elbow to the head from Lakers guard Lou Williams on the first possession of the night and had to leave the game to get eight stitches to treat the facial laceration. He returned for the start of the second quarter.
  • Indiana is 19-1 on the year when allowing 94 or fewer points and a perfect 13-0 when holding their opponent under 90.

Up Next

The Pacers host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in their final game before the All-Star break. Find Tickets »