Lakers Struggle, But Kobe is Clutch!

Lakers began the game against the Pacers and started off hot. Kobe Bryant, during the first 6 minutes of the game, started with a three-point pull-up shot, a backdoor two-handed dunk, three rebounds, and one assist. Despite the hot start from Bryant, the Lakers finished the first quarter shooting just 35% from the field.  C.J. Miles ignited an Indiana Pacers run, shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 behind the arc.  This gave the Pacers a 28-15 lead after the first quarter.

Into the second quarter, Jeremy Lin, Nick Young, and Carlos Boozer came in as a trio of bench power.  Lin was aggressive but out of sync with his forays to the basket.  Boozer burned his defenders a few times for quick hoops in the painted area.  Nick Young hit a shot in isolation from the perimeter and also drew a three-point foul.  Despite the burst from the bench unit, the Pacers were able to contain the team to 34% shooting into halftime.  Nick Young cut the lead to 7 paints with a buzzer beater before heading into the locker room.  Still, the Pacers led at the half, 48-41. 

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Kobe Bryant entered the third quarter with more of a scoring mentality.  His lone field goal for the third quarter came from a mid-range jumper.  He fell out of sync with his “point guard mode” and it took the entire team out.  He had a few careless turnovers.  The Pacers defense along the perimeter continued to stifle the Lakers’ perimeter shooting.  Overall, the Pacers came out with more energy and outhustled the Lakers.  This showed in the rebounding department, where the Pacers had the edge 12-4 late in the third quarter.  Jeremy Lin provided a late five point spurt to end the third quarter to cut the lead 69-63.

The Lakers continued that momentum well into the fourth quarter, where they were able to tie the Pacers at 74.

Roy Hibbert and Carlos Boozer got into a scuffle after a shove by Boozer.  Carlos received a flagrant-one foul.  Nick Young was able to be a productive scorer despite a poor shooting night from the field, hitting all 12 of his free throws.  He hit some tough shots in the process.

Kobe Bryant gave the Lakers a five-point spurt with a pull-up baseline three-point shot along with a pair of free throws.  Solomon Hill came back with his own three-pointer, and Sloan hit a 20′ jumper to give the Pacers a one point lead with 43 seconds to go.

In typical Kobe Bryant style, he won the game for them. He scored 7 points in the last 2:00 of the game.

The Lakers win 88-87.

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