 Lou Williams scored 27 points, Nick Young hit five 3-pointers and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their five-game losing streak with a 108-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.Julius Randle scored 16 points while Young and rookie Brandon Ingram added 15 apiece as the Lakers made a prolonged second-half surge to win for just the sixth time in 27 games since November.The Lakers even did it without D'Angelo Russell, who left after slipping on their second possession of the game, mildly spraining a ligament in his right knee and straining his right calf.Paul George scored 21 points and Al Jefferson added 20 for the Pacers, who had a dismal second half in just their second loss in nine games.The Lakers improbably thrived without their point guard, showing off excellent ball movement and balanced scoring in their best effort in two weeks. Williams hit four 3-pointers in another prolific outside shooting performance, and Young put on his usual theatrics while peppering the Pacers with big buckets.Young also went to the locker room after hyperextending his left knee late in the first half, but he returned for the second half with a remarkable performance. The Lakers played without veteran forward Luol Deng, who has a sprained right wrist.TIP-INSPacers: C. J. Miles failed to convert a four-point play in the third quarter. ... One game after Jefferson hit his season high with 20 points at Sacramento, the center matched that total in the first half at Staples Center. He didn't score in the second half, missing all four of his shots.Lakers: Larry Nance Jr. has been cleared to resume practice and to play limited minutes in their next game. The second-year forward has missed 16 games since Dec. 20 with a bone bruise in his left knee. ... Jose Calderon played 19 minutes in Russell's absence, putting up seven points and six assists.D-LO DOWNRussell was injured when he lost his footing while going around a screen set by Randle. Russell's left leg alarmingly stretched backward, and he stayed down while holding his right knee before eventually walking to the locker room. Russell entered the game averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game in his second NBA season. He will be re-evaluated Saturday before their road trip.UP NEXTPacers: At Jazz on Saturday.Lakers: At Mavericks on Sunday.)
Jan 20, 2017 LOS ANGELES -- The Indiana Pacers roll into Staples Center seeking to continue their recent run in a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.The Pacers, who won seven of their past eight contests, rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat the host Sacramento Kings 106-100 on Wednesday night.The win was the 500th of coach Nate McMillian's career and one of the few times the Pacers prevailed on the road. Indiana (22-19) is 6-14 away from its home floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse."That's what we want to do," McMillan said of escaping against the Kings. "This is road tough." "We just had to gut and grind," said Pacers star Paul George, who scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the second half. "That's all it comes down to is staying sound -- staying sound and solid and one basket at a time. I think we did a great job of not looking to make big plays to get us back right away." Indiana returned to its winning form after a tough stretch in December. The Pacers are 6-1 this month after finishing December with a 7-8 mark. A 111-101 decision on Dec. 30 over the Chicago Bulls jumpstarted the Pacers' solid performances.The Pacers' lone loss this month was a 140-112 blowout against the Denver Nuggets in London on Jan. 12. Since then, Indiana claimed its past two contests.Indiana's offense is improved in January, averaging 114 points per contest. The play of point guard Jeff Teague has been one of the reasons. In the win over Sacramento, Teague paired 22 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds.It was Teague's ninth double-double this season -- that ranks fourth in the NBA among point guards.Double-doubles have been a common theme for Lakers forward Julius Randle, but Los Angeles got a double-double Tuesday from an unlikely source, little-used rookie center Ivica Zubac, who tallied 11 points and 13 boards in a 127-121 loss to Denver.Zubac, the 32nd pick of the 2016 draft, has spent much of the season playing with the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League."I thought (Zubac) was really good (Tuesday)," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "(The Nuggets) were getting everything they wanted for most of the game, and when he got in there he started changing some shots, he got his deflections, had a beautiful pass to Nick (Young) in the corner that would've cut it to one, which is the way we want to play, and the way we played earlier in the year."I thought he was really good, but I'm not going to say he turned a corner. I'm just going to say he was really good tonight." Unfortunately, the Lakers (15-31) haven't been very good. They have dropped five in a row and 21 of their past 26 contests after a 10-10 start.The Pacers, who have won four consecutive games against the Lakers, took the initial meeting 115-108 in Indiana on Nov. 2. At Staples, the Pacers own a three-game winning streak in the series.
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