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NBA -- Lakers lose cliffhanger to steady Pacers
By Joan Secuya-Medida
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 29 Nov 2012
SAN FRANCISCO --- The good teams often finish stroong down the stretch. And they make the free throws that matter.
The Los Angeles Lakers didn't do both Tuesday night and lost a 79-77 nail-biter to the Indiana Pacers at the Staples Center.
Two missed free throws by Metta World Peace with 57.5 seconds left to play allowed Indiana to cling to a shaky 75-74 lead. In the ensuing play, Pacers guard George Hill drained a short-range floater that pushed the Lakers further away at 77-74. And after Kobe Bryant knotted the count at 77-77 with a triple, a sub-par Lakers defense could only watch as Hill penetrated the lane and sink the game-winning lay-up with .01 left in the clock.
"It's a play, where if they help, Hill has to throw it back (to David West). If they don't, then he's trying to turn the corner. It's a slip lpay to bait them into help and have George try to turn a corner and get a shot," Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel explained his terrific endgame play to NBA.com.
Hill's heroic night ended with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Teammate David West also had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers, who converted only 29 of 79 field goals (36.7 percent). Indiana went just 4-for-19 beyond the 3-point arc and 17-of-27 free throws.
The Lakers were simply an all-out mess, shooting just 31.6 percent from the field, 21.4 percent above the arc, and 53.5 percent from the free throw striple. L.A. also turned the ball over 21 times, four more than Indiana.
Kobe Bryant finished with 40 points and 10 rebounds. But the Lakers ace got little support. Dwight Howard had 17 points and eight rebounds but Paul Gasol missed seven of nine shots and settled with just 10.
"It was a tough game for us because we didn't make shots. On top of that, we didn't make free throws. I've got to minimize my mistakes.Ten turnovers is way too much for me, so I have to work on perfecting that, bringing that down. I just felt like I played to the crowd too much, "Bryant told ESPN.com after the Lakers fell to 7-8 in the standings. (
The Indiana Pacers also improvd slightly, to 7-8, Joan Secuya-Medida)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joan Secuya-Medida.
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