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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- For the first time in 38 days, the Lakers
lost.
Travis Best scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers defeated Los Angeles 111-102 Friday night,
ending the Lakers' winning streak at 16 games.
|  | | Jalen Rose powers in two of his 19 points for the Pacers. |
"All good things come to an end," said Glen Rice, who topped the Lakers with 23 points, including 11 in the final 4:13 as Los
Angeles attempted to rally.
Best's effort was part of a major performance by Indiana's
bench, which outscored the Lakers' reserves 37-20 and outrebounded
them 18-6.
Best and Austin Croshere scored 22 of Indiana's last 26 points after both were scoreless in the first three quarters.
"We just came out and wanted to play hard, wanted to establish
ourselves early," said Reggie Miller, who led six Pacers in double figures with 22 points. "We hung in there and we fought. It was
one of those gritty wins. It wasn't really pretty we executed well
down the stretch.
Jalen Rose contributed 19 points and Croshere had 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as Indiana won its 12th consecutive home
game.
"It seemed like Austin got every rebound and hit some shots and
Travis controlled the game at the end," coach Larry Bird said.
Indiana was 11-of-19 in the fourth quarter, while the Lakers
made just 9-of-20 attempts.
"They executed very well," Rice said. "That pick-and-roll
that Travis was taking advantage of was tough on us. They were
getting good shots when it counted and we let them get too deep in
the paint. Defensively, we looked like a young team."
Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and 14 rebounds but shot just 10-of-25 as he consistently failed to hit after muscling his way
underneath.
"We beat ourselves. I take the blame for this loss. I don't
usually miss 15 shots. Those were shots I usually make and should
make," said O'Neal, who had to battle the defensive efforts of
veteran Sam Perkins much of the game.
The Lakers went into the game with the second-longest winning
streak in team history, having matched a 16-game streak recorded in
1990-91. They were stopped less than halfway to the league record
of 33 straight wins by the 1971-72 Lakers.
Neither team was able to pull away until the fourth quarter in a game that included 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
The Lakers went five minutes without a field goal in the fourth
quarter after Kobe Bryant scored to give Los Angeles an 84-79 lead with 9:15 remaining.
Chris Mullin then started a 16-2 run for Indiana by hitting a free throw after the Lakers were called for an illegal defense. A
jumper by Rose and a 3-pointer by Sam Perkins put the Pacers ahead
to stay, 85-84 with 8:17 left.
That's when Best went to work. He drove past Derek Fisher for his first basket of the game with 7:03 to go and then hit a jumper.
A jumper by Croshere, and a steal and a free throw by Croshere gave
the Pacers a 94-86 lead.
Rice hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Lakers' deficit to 100-94, but Indiana went on to take its biggest lead of the game -- 11 points -- in the final minute.
The first half was played with the intensity of two teams that
might meet for the NBA championship. Neither team led by more than
six points in an opening half that had five lead changes and 10
ties.
Ron Harper had 10 points in the first quarter when both teams shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24). Miller and Rose each had nine for
Indiana, which led 33-30 at the end of the quarter following a
3-pointer by Miller with three seconds remaining.
A layup by Rose with 7:49 left in the first half gave the Pacers
a 42-36 edge, but the Lakers responded with a 14-2 run to lead
50-44 with 4:10 left. It was 58-57 at halftime after Mark Jackson was fouled attempting a 3-pointer just before the buzzer and made
all three free throws.
The Lakers were two wins away from joining five other teams in
league history with 18-game streaks. Only three teams, including
the 1970-71 Bucks and the 1971-72 Lakers, have won more than 18
straight.
Game notes
Lakers forward Robert Horry played with a protective mask over his face to protect the nose he broke during the fourth
quarter of his previous game. ... The Lakers continue their three-game road trip at Minnesota on Saturday. ... The Pacers had their 17th straight sellout at the Conseco Fieldhouse and Los Angeles played its eighth consecutive road game in a sold-out facility. ... Mark Jackson scored 15 for Indiana, including the 500th 3-pointer of his career. ... Miller needs just eight points to become the 33rd
player in league history to score 19,000.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 102
Orlando 100
Toronto 115
Milwaukee 110
New York 0
Charlotte 0
Detroit 105
Washington 98
Indiana 111
LA Lakers 102
Atlanta 89
Chicago 83
Miami 92
Denver 87
Seattle 91
San Antonio 85
Cleveland 82
Vancouver 80
Portland 105
Phoenix 83
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