Lakers Stunned As Pacers Hung Around to Win It By 1

Troy Murphy and Danny Granger spent most of Tuesday night working to keep the Pacers close to the Lakers. They spent those final few seconds like everyone else in Conseco Fieldhouse watching, waiting and wondering if Murphy's tantalizing tip would actually drop through the net. Could the Pacers who had a record of 6-10 beat the Los Angeles Lakers who were 14-1 coming into this game on the road. Yes the Indiana Pacers did get the win against the Lakers but if you ask me they did get lucky, darn lucky. That tantalizing tip somehow made it's way into the basket to give the Pacers a 1 point win over the Lakers. Grrrr what a frustrating loss! The team that is known for such strong defense let up just enough to allow the Pacers to get that tip that gave the Pacers the game.

Fun Facts
• Danny Granger played a season-high 42 minutes and had his fifth 30 point game of the season. • The Pacers got just their third win since Nov. 12.
• The Lakers lost on the road for the first time this season. By this time last year, they had lost four road games and were just one game over .500.
• Troy Murphy has grabbed double-digit rebounds for nine straight games.

Murphy's game-winner completed an improbable comeback and gave the Pacers a desperately needed 118-117 victory after replay reviews confirmed the basket was good. "That's purely unbelievable," Granger said. "Troy is a monster on the boards. He gobbles up so many rebounds, and I'm glad he got it because I couldn't get to it."

The Lakers (14-2) entered with a seven-game winning streak, the league's best record and a perfect 5-0 mark on the road. So when they closed the third quarter with a 17-0 run to take a 101-86 lead, it seemed as if the Lakers were destined for yet another rout. Granger and Murphy changed those plans.

Granger, who scored 32 points, and Murphy, who had 16 points and 17 rebounds, methodically led their teammates back by making big baskets and getting the ball to open teammates. The Pacers (7-10) also allowed just 16 points over the final 12 minutes.The combination, and Murphy's ability to get his hands on a batted ball, bailed them out.

"There was some luck involved, but that's the way basketball is if you don't take care of business," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They got some energy going to the hoop and the right thing happened for them." It was a dramatic shift for the Pacers, who had lost five of six, including their last two home games in overtime. They play six of their next seven on the road.

The Lakers jumped ahead repeatedly against Indiana but the Pacers kept rallying. When reigning MVP Kobe Bryant scored the Lakers' final nine points of the first half to give Los Angeles a 66-59 lead, Granger caught Murphy's long inbound pass, spun and hit a 17-footer at the buzzer to make it 66-61 at halftime. When Bryant opened the second half by scoring the Lakers' first seven points, Granger did everything he could to keep it close. And when Los Angeles put together its big run at the end of the third, Granger and Murphy returned the favor by igniting a 10-0 spurt early in the fourth to get the Pacers within seven.

Bryant finished with 28 points, becoming the second-fastest player in league history to reach 22,000 career points. Wilt Chamberlain was one day younger than Bryant when he reached that milestone. "They did a great job on the offensive boards and our turnovers created momentum for them," Bryant said. "Their 3-point shooting kept them in the game."

Granger's fourth 3, with 1:42 left, closed the margin to 115-114 and Marquis Daniels made two free throws on Indiana's next possession to put the Pacers in front. Bryant answered with a pull-up 21-footer before missing an 18-footer that gave Indiana a chance to call timeout and set up one last play. Although it didn't work, Daniels broke free on the baseline, put up a short shot that bounced off the rim and got batted around before Murphy charged in and tipped it toward the basket. After bouncing off both sides of the rim and into the air, it finally dropped and sent Pacers players running toward their sideline. "It looked like it sat on there forever," Murphy said. "But I'm happy it finally went down."

The Lakers were completely stunned as they watched the Pacers celebrate a win that without a doubt was in their hands until the last second of the game. That just goes to show you that you can't give up until the clock says zero and the game is truly over. Many of the Lakers players were interviewed after the game and they were a little down to have lost their first game out on the road but knew that they had to go take care of business in Philly against the 76ERS. You win some and you loose some but the most important thing is that you always do the very best that you can to excel and to become better. I hope that the Lakers learned from this loss and put it behind them and use it to allow them to grow from it. I am looking forward to the Lakers becoming an even better defensive team in the NBA. We know they have great shooters but it's about good strong defense that wins you the game! Go purple and gold!!

Game notes: Last year's NBA finalists, the Celtics and Lakers, each have two losses this season and the Pacers have beaten both teams once. The Lakers were 33-of-45 from the free-throw line but had more than twice as many chances as the Pacers, who made 20 of 21 foul shots. Indiana played without forward Jeff Foster, who was out with a sore back. Murphy extended his streak of games with double-digit rebounds to nine.

Nextmatchup: Wednesday December 3rd @ Philadelphia 76ERS 4:00 PM (PST)