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With Reggie Miller sitting courtside, Paul George paid homage to the Pacers legend by helping the Pacers maintain a late lead and eventually closing out the Lakers at the free throw line.
PG played the final 8:40 of the game but was quiet on the offensive end as the Lakers rallied from a double-digit deficit in the final quarter. Ol' friend Metta World Peace made things uncomfortable for PG with his physical play that didn't seem worth the effort until the win was in doubt.
Over the final two minutes, PG drew three fouls on MWP to foul him out, nailed a killer mid-range jumper in his eye and made 10 of 12 free throws to seal the W and finish the game with 39 points. Yep, a quiet fourth quarter in a game when PG seemed a little off his top-shelf level of play and he finished with 39, in essence, paying homage to both Reggie and Kobe Bryant.
The effort fueled an incredible month of November for the Pacers. After going 11-2, the Pacers are now in second place in the Eastern Conference with the fourth best record in the NBA.
The league will soon announce awards for player of the week and month in each conference and Paul George should be part of that announcement, if not for his month of November, then certainly the past week. But after the team's success and PG averaging 29.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists, oh, and guarding the opponent's best perimeter threat every game, he's earned the player of the month honor no matter how many more times those voting have watched LeBron James.
Check out the links:
Game Rewind: Pacers 107, Lakers 103 | Indiana Pacers
Kobe scores 13 after announcement, but Pacers beat Lakers - AP
Insider: On Kobe Bryant's night, Pacers' Paul George cherishes final moments
Lakers lose a close one to Pacers on night Kobe Bryant talks retirement - LA Times
Kobe finishing, but PG just getting started | WFNI ESPN 1070 the Fan | Indy's SportsCenter
Why Kobe Bryant decided it was time to retire - Yahoo Sports
Indiana Pacers Don't Get Caught in the Moment, Beat Lakers
Kobe Bryant airballs a game-tying shot on the day he announced he's retiring - SBNation.com