Pacers at Lakers
THE STORY: The Indiana Pacers are looking to close out a winning California road trip as they get ready for their Sunday clash with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers have won four of their last five contests and snapped a 13-game losing streak to Western Conference opponents on Friday when they posted a 94-91 win over the Golden State Warriors. Things haven’t been as rosy for the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ll try to avoid losing their third straight game on Sunday after falling to the Orlando Magic 92-80 two days earlier. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 30 points, but his teammates didn’t lend much support by shooting a miserable percentage from the floor.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN-IND (Indiana), FSN-W (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PACERS (10-4): George Hill stripped Monta Ellis with the score tied and drove the length of the court for a layup with 1.8 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Pacers on Friday. Danny Granger and David West both scored season highs and Roy Hibbert had his best effort on the glass of the season by collecting 16 rebounds. With the win, the Pacers matched their best overall start since 2004-05.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (10-7): After scoring the first basket of the game, the Lakers made just three of their next 20 shots for a total of 10 first-quarter points. They shot a season-low 28.9 percent from the field in the first half and put up only 31 points on Friday. They’ve been especially bad from 3-point range. Derek Fisher is shooting 24.1 percent, while Metta World Peace is at 12.1 percent from long range. Los Angeles will be happy to return home where it has won nine straight games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Pacers have held eight of their 14 opponents to 90 points or less. They are undefeated in those games this season.
2. The Lakers are 55-20 all-time versus the Pacers and 33-5 at home against them.
3. The Lakers are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA at 25.7 percent. For their part, the Pacers are one of the better shooting teams from behind the arc at 38.2 percent.