Lakers lead Pacers at halftime
PRO BASKETBALL
Kobe Bryant has 16 points and provides the highlight of the half.
Reporting from Indianapolis — When the Lakers arrived here about 5 p.m. Monday night, several of the players came to Conseco Fieldhouse for a workout after not having practiced in Los Angeles.
The idea was for them to get their legs beneath them, to gather themselves because of the three-hour time difference and the long travel day.
It seemed to work, because instead of a having a slow, sluggish start, the Lakers came out with a purpose in opening a 66-61 halftime lead Tuesday night over the Indiana Pacers.
The problem was that it was all on offense.
The Lakers shot 55.6% from the field in the first quarter and scored 28 points.
But they allowed the Pacers to make 54.2% of their shots in the first quarter, score 30 points and open a two-point lead.
The Lakers shot 54.8% from the field for the half, but they allowed the Pacers to make 52.9% of their shots, including a last-second shot by Danny Granger (16 points) just before the half-time buzzer sounded.
The highlight of the first half was provided by Kobe Bryant, who scored 16 points by the half. That gave Bryant 22,001 points during his career, making him the second youngest player to exceed the 22,000-point plateau.
Bryant pumped faked Brandon Rush at the free-throw line, stepped beneath him and intentionally threw the ball off the backboard.
Bryant then ran up for the rebound and put the ball back in.
Bryant also converted a three-point play just before the first half.
Turner is a Times staff writer
broderick.turner@latimes.com
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