Pacers hand Bryant, Lakers another loss

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[November 30, 2015]  LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant kicked off his farewell tour with the standard Los Angeles Lakers fare: another loss.

Forward Paul George scored 39 points and made some crucial free throws with the game on the line, and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 107-103 victory over the Lakers on Sunday night at Staples Center.

Guard Monta Ellis added 15 points as the Pacers (11-5) won their sixth straight.

Bryant was the center of attention, announcing hours before tipoff that he will retire at season's end. The revelation on the Players' Tribune website didn't prevent the 37-year-old veteran from putting up another dismal shooting exhibition. He scored 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting in more than 33 minutes.

"If I had a burning desire to continue to play, I would," Bryant said to a packed room of media after the game. "I wouldn't be second-guessing, I wouldn't be on the fence. I feel very solid in my decision."

Bryant was 2-for-9 from behind the 3-point stripe. In 16 games, Bryant has a .305 field-goal percentage, .202 on 3-point shooting.

"Every time he touched the ball, every time he checked in, the place exploded like it was Game 7 of the Finals," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "You can look at this on the whole and say that this is a team with a bad record we should come in and beat. I thought we came in with the right mindset, the right focus. Got a big lead and overcome a lot of circumstances to get a tough win."

George made 10 of 12 foul shots in the fourth quarter, the most crucial one coming with 5.1 seconds remaining for the final margin. Overall, George hit 14 of 17 free throws and 10 of 21 shots from the floor. He also was successful on five of 10 3-point tries.

Guards Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points each to pace the Lakers, who lost their six consecutive contest and fell to 1-6 at home. Young connected on six of his 14 3-point attempts. Clarkson had a career-high 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles (2-14) made a late run, cutting the deficit to four on a bucket inside by forward Julius Randle, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, with 3:41 left. However, two free throws by George pushed the Pacers' lead to 100-92 with 1:07 remaining. A 3-pointer by Young and another one by forward Metta World Peace sliced the deficit to 100-98 with 23.6 seconds left.

George hit two more foul shots with 22.1 seconds remaining, pushing the lead to four. After Clarkson scored on a basket in the lane, George made two free throws with 14.4 seconds left to make it 104-100.

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Bryant, though, nailed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining briefly sending the Staples crowd into a frenzy and pulling Los Angeles with one, but George converted another pair of free throws with 10.5 seconds remaining for a three-point advantage. Bryant followed by airballing a 3-pointer with seven seconds left.

"It was a crazy day," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "I obviously thought a lot about (Bryant) leading up to the game because I knew what he was going to do as far as announcements. ... We didn't get off to the best of starts, and the first quarter was pretty bad for us."

The Pacers burst out to a 28-12 cushion after one quarter and 48-35 at the break.

Lakers center Roy Hibbert faced his former club for the first time since being traded by the Pacers. He finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

However, Bryant overshadowed Hibbert's meeting with the Pacers.

"It's a natural progression of growth," Bryant said of his imminent retirement. "There's no sadness in that. I've had so many great times. I'm not sad about it. I'm appreciative of what I've had."
 


NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was saddened when G/F Kobe Bryant informed him Saturday night he would retire at season's end. "It's always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up," said Scott during his pregame media session. Scott refused to divulge many of the details of the conversation between the two but said he was surprised Bryant was retiring. "He just told me at an awkward time," Scott said without elaborating. "It just caught me off-guard." ... The Lakers will visit the 0-18 Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. A loss by the 76ers would give them the worst start in NBA history. ... The Pacers will spend a few extra days in Los Angeles before playing the Clippers on Wednesday.

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