LeBron James carries Lakers down stretch for 104-96 win over Pacers
Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison, left, takes a loose ball away from Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 12 of his 38 points in the final five minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers rebounded from their first back-to-back losses in a month with a 104-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Brandon Ingram scored 14 points and Josh Hart added 13 for the Lakers, who blew an early 24-point lead before James carried them down the stretch to their 10th win in 14 games.
Indiana trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 89-88 on Domantas Sabonis’ jumper with 4:59 left, but James had a 3-pointer and a three-point play on consecutive possessions in a 10-0 Lakers run before adding a 22-foot jumper with 2:21 to play.
Sabonis had 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Pacers lost for the first time in three stops on their four-game West Coast trip.
Victor Oladipo sat out his sixth straight game for Indiana with a sore right knee, but the Lakers still needed James to close it out.
James added nine rebounds and seven assists in his first game since scoring a season-low 14 points in the Lakers’ embarrassing loss at Denver.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points for the Pacers, and Thaddeus Young added 11.
The Lakers scored the game’s first 13 points and jumped to a 23-point lead in the first quarter, but led only 56-50 at halftime after Sabonis’ 14-point second quarter.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Oladipo scrimmaged in half-court work before the game, but couldn’t return. He could go through a full practice Friday. … Indiana fell short of its eighth road victory already this season. Only Toronto and Utah have more.
Lakers: Lonzo Ball had two points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes while playing through an ankle injury. Ball sprained his ankle in LA’s loss at Denver on Tuesday, but made good on his vow to play through it. … Lance Stephenson played five scoreless minutes. He played in all 82 games last season for the Pacers in his second stint with the club, averaging 9.2 points. … Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Sacramento on Saturday night.
Lakers: Host Dallas on Friday night.
