George, Pacers rally past Lakers
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George scored Indiana's final 12 points, including the go-ahead field goal with 1:39 remaining, and the Pacers rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-108 on Tuesday night.
George, who was 12 of 12 from the free throw line, scored eight in the final 1:39 to finish with a game-high 30 points.
Indiana improved to 2-2, snapping a two-game losing streak. The Lakers fell to 1-3 with their third consecutive loss, all on the road.
Monta Ellis added 17 for Indiana, and Lou Williams had 19 for the Lakers.
Williams' 3-point play with 3:50 to go pulled the Lakers to within 105-104, and Los Angeles took a 108-107 lead with 1:56 to play before George took over.
An Aaron Brooks 3-pointer with 7:19 remaining pushed the Indiana lead to 94-89, then Jeff Teague's jumper and Myles Turner's three-point play extended the advantage to 101-94 with 5:25 remaining.
The Lakers opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run, slicing the Pacers' lead to 64-63. Indiana then extended its lead to 84-79 through 36 minutes. George had 18 points through three periods, CJ Miles had 16 and Ellis had 15.
The Lakers outscored the Pacers 11-1 from the free throw line in the third quarter.
George had 13 points, and Thaddeus Young added 12 during the first half, leading the Pacers to a 62-51 lead through 24 minutes. Miles came off the bench to score 11 first-half points for Indiana.
The Pacers shot 47.6 percent (20 of 42), including 8 of 16 from 3-point range, in first-half action.
Luol Deng's eight points led the Lakers in the first two quarters, and Jose Calderon came off the bench for seven. Los Angeles shot 44.2 percent (19 of 43) in the first half but turned the ball over 11 times. Indiana converted those turnovers into 19 points.
NOTES: Pacers G Rodney Stuckey (pulled right hamstring) likely will be sidelined for several weeks ... The Lakers entered 1-0 at home and 0-2 on the road, and the Pacers entered 1-0 at home and 0-2 on the road ... Pacers G Jeff Teague, an Indianapolis native, is coming off a zero-points game (0 of 7 from the field) in a Saturday night loss at Chicago ... Indiana came in having beaten the Lakers in five of the six most recent meetings ... The Lakers have not won in Bankers Life Fieldhouse since March 15, 2013 ... Indiana leads the NBA in assists, averaging 28.7 a game, and is fifth in blocks with 6.3 ... The Lakers are fourth in steals with 10.3 per game and are seventh in opponents' 3-point field goal percentage (27.5) ... The Lakers were playing the third game in a four-game road trip that ends Wednesday night in Atlanta.