Lakers at Pacers
After a rare instance of being celebrated on the road, Kobe Bryant hopes to resume the role of enemy when the Los Angeles Lakers try to sweep a three-game road trip Monday against the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers look to extend their season-best three-game winning streak. The injury-riddled Pacers have dropped eight straight overall and are 2-9 against Western Conference teams.
Bryant stopped the show Sunday in Minnesota, as the home team and crown honored him after passing Michael Jordan for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list en route to a 26-point night and a 100-94 victory. "It was different," Bryant told reporters. "I'm so used to being the villain all the time on the road it took a minute to kind of adjust. It felt good to be appreciated like that." The Pacers wiped out most of a 29-point deficit Saturday against Portland but couldn't finish the comeback in a 95-85 defeat.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE LAKERS (8-16): Bryant's comeback after missing most of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon continues to be one of the best stories of the season, as he's averaging 25.4 points. Bryant lamented his aches and pains after Sunday's game but is averaging 30 points in the second game of back-to-backs this season. Big men Jordan Hill (13.1 points, 8.8 rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (13 points, 7.3 rebounds) have played well of late.
ABOUT THE PACERS (7-17): Indiana desperately misses star Paul George, who remains out indefinitely while recovering from a broken leg, and will also be without guard George Hill (knee). The Pacers rank 28th in offensive efficiency, largely because they don't have a go-to guy. Veteran guard Rodney Stuckey (12.8 points) leads the team in scoring, and the Pacers need more from the frontcourt duo of David West (11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Roy Hibbert (11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana hasn't lost nine straight since an 11-game skid from Feb. 23-March 14, 2007.
2. Bryant (624) is tied with James Worthy for the sixth-most blocked shots in Lakers history and is four behind Andrew Bynum for fifth.
3. The Pacers are 3-13 when trailing after one quarter.