Pooh
12-01-2003, 03:57 AM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider
November 30, 2003
All good things do come to an end. For the Indiana Pacers, it ended with a resounding thump tonight.
Shaquille O'Neal's 23 points, combined with Karl Malone's 11 and Kobe Bryant's 12 was simply way too much for the Pacers as they were trounced tonight by the Lakers 99-77 at the Staples Center this evening.
The night for the Pacers began horribly, as center Jeff Foster got into early foul trouble, causing Pacers' coach Rick Carlisle to bring in Scot Pollard.
The first quarter was very sloppy on both sides of ball, with the Lakers turning the ball over 6 times to the Pacers' 9.
The game was an early defensive struggle early in the first quarter, then the Pacers caught their lone break of the night when Shaquille O'Neal drew his third foul early in the first, giving the Pacers some hope, but it faded as quickly as O'Neal got his seat.
By the end of the first half, the Pacers trailed 46-37, slightly wounded but still hanging in there...until the third quarter began.
A quick 8-0 run by the Lakers, took the life out of the Pacers to which they never recovered from. Two free throws by Shaquille O'Neal with 2:58 left in the third quarter capped a 15-4 run and gave Los Angeles a 64-45 lead. It was 68-51 entering the final period and the Pacers were unable to pose a threat after that.
The stingy Laker defense, who shut down the defending champion Spurs a few nights ago, put the clamps on the Pacers, holding them to only 14 points in the third quarter, in a sense slamming the door shut on any possible comeback.
The only bright spot in otherwise a dreadful night for the Pacers was Al Harrington's 18 points and 10 rebounds. Harrington, along with Jermaine O'Neal's 14 points were the only Pacers in double figures for the evening.
Reggie Miller, playing before his hometown didn't have any "homecooking" tonight, scoring just 9 points, and going 1-5 from the three-point line, while Ron Artest was held to 6 points and 5 rebounds.
The Pacers shooting was horrendous, shooting 39% percent (27-69) for the game, a number usually reserved for their oppoinents, not them. Their poor shooting, along with 23 turnovers wasn't the only that sealed their fate this evening, they were literally ran out of the building by simply put, the best team in the NBA at this time.
The loss snapped the Pacers' eight-game winning streak and was their first setback in eight road games.
The Pacers don't have time to lick their wounds, they now have to catch a flight to Phoenix where they face the Suns in another back-to-back contest. The Suns are currently 7-8 this season, and like the Pacers they are coming off a loss as well. Two teams, each wounded...who will heal quickly and who still need time to recover.
Gametime is at 9pm (EST)
November 30, 2003
All good things do come to an end. For the Indiana Pacers, it ended with a resounding thump tonight.
Shaquille O'Neal's 23 points, combined with Karl Malone's 11 and Kobe Bryant's 12 was simply way too much for the Pacers as they were trounced tonight by the Lakers 99-77 at the Staples Center this evening.
The night for the Pacers began horribly, as center Jeff Foster got into early foul trouble, causing Pacers' coach Rick Carlisle to bring in Scot Pollard.
The first quarter was very sloppy on both sides of ball, with the Lakers turning the ball over 6 times to the Pacers' 9.
The game was an early defensive struggle early in the first quarter, then the Pacers caught their lone break of the night when Shaquille O'Neal drew his third foul early in the first, giving the Pacers some hope, but it faded as quickly as O'Neal got his seat.
By the end of the first half, the Pacers trailed 46-37, slightly wounded but still hanging in there...until the third quarter began.
A quick 8-0 run by the Lakers, took the life out of the Pacers to which they never recovered from. Two free throws by Shaquille O'Neal with 2:58 left in the third quarter capped a 15-4 run and gave Los Angeles a 64-45 lead. It was 68-51 entering the final period and the Pacers were unable to pose a threat after that.
The stingy Laker defense, who shut down the defending champion Spurs a few nights ago, put the clamps on the Pacers, holding them to only 14 points in the third quarter, in a sense slamming the door shut on any possible comeback.
The only bright spot in otherwise a dreadful night for the Pacers was Al Harrington's 18 points and 10 rebounds. Harrington, along with Jermaine O'Neal's 14 points were the only Pacers in double figures for the evening.
Reggie Miller, playing before his hometown didn't have any "homecooking" tonight, scoring just 9 points, and going 1-5 from the three-point line, while Ron Artest was held to 6 points and 5 rebounds.
The Pacers shooting was horrendous, shooting 39% percent (27-69) for the game, a number usually reserved for their oppoinents, not them. Their poor shooting, along with 23 turnovers wasn't the only that sealed their fate this evening, they were literally ran out of the building by simply put, the best team in the NBA at this time.
The loss snapped the Pacers' eight-game winning streak and was their first setback in eight road games.
The Pacers don't have time to lick their wounds, they now have to catch a flight to Phoenix where they face the Suns in another back-to-back contest. The Suns are currently 7-8 this season, and like the Pacers they are coming off a loss as well. Two teams, each wounded...who will heal quickly and who still need time to recover.
Gametime is at 9pm (EST)