Pacers 79, Lakers 77
LOS ANGELES -- George Hill bided his time, let the game clock dwindle, then calmly beat three All-Stars to the hole to give the Indiana Pacers a 79-77 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in front of a stunned Staples Center crowd Tuesday night.
Hill took Metta World Peace off the dribble, then outraced Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard to hit a game-winning layup with one-tenth of a second left. It was the Pacers' third consecutive road win over the Lakers, who rallied from as much as 13 down to tie the game on a Kobe Bryant 3-pointer with 24.5 seconds left.
Bryant's 40 points -- coming on a night when his participation was deemed a game-time decision due to the flu -- was not enough to make up for a lackadaisical Los Angeles offense that shot 31 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
Ten of the turnovers were committed by Bryant, who added 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Indiana's offense was not at peak performance either, as the Pacers made just 36.7 percent from the field and just four of 19 (21.1 percent) from 3-point range.
Hill scored 19 points for the Pacers, who got 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from David West.
Bryant's point total matched his season high, but it came on 12-of-28 shooting.
Howard added 17 points and eight rebounds for Los Angeles, whose bench was outscored 20-5.
Despite Bryant's 16 first-half points, Los Angeles trailed 40-33 at the break. The teams combined to score just 27 second-quarter points. Both teams shot poorly in the first half, Indiana's 36.2 percent (17-for-47) success rate besting the Lakers' 23.5 percent (13-for-40).
Indiana led by as much as 12 in the first quarter, using a 13-4 run midway through the period to take control.
West had 12 first-half points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead the Pacers, and George added eight.
Bryant filled the stat sheet early but lacked efficiency. He shot just 6-for-15 from the field before halftime, and he had four turnovers and seven rebounds. Howard added 10 first-half points for Los Angeles, but the Lakers got a combined three points out of fellow starters Gasol, World Peace and Darius Morris before the break.
NOTES: The Lakers remain without their top two point guards, as Steve Nash (leg fracture) and Steve Blake (abdominal strain) are still sidelined. Morris has started the past eight games for Los Angeles and averaged less than seven points. ... The Lakers won the two teams' lone 2011-12 matchup, 98-96. ... Gasol entered the night averaging 13.4 points for the season, 5.2 points less than his career average.
