Indianapolis — Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal proved no match for the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Bryant scored 31 points on an off-night, and O'Neal added 20 points in 24 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 109-90 victory.
"It's not easy," O'Neal said. "We're just playing good ball and good defense. The guys are shooting the ball well."
Especially, Bryant and O'Neal even on a night when the Lakers had played their second road game in two nights.
Despite missing two dunks, Bryant still hit 11 of 22 shots. He also shot 8-of-14 from the free-throw line in an unusually poor night for the league's No. 17 foul shooter, who was making 85.5 percent. But he hit all seven free throws in the second half.
O'Neal's playing time was limited because of early foul trouble and the fact that the Lakers rested him in the fourth quarter. Yet he still shot 8-of-12 and blocked five shots.
The Pacers, like many NBA teams, had no answers for the Lakers duo.
"We have played well on the road before," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "But the level we've had lately has been impressive."
They certainly played at a level the Pacers hadn't seen lately. Los Angeles recorded its sixth straight victory by becoming the first team in seven games to score more than 100 points against Indiana.
The Pacers had won two straight coming into the game, but O'Neal, Bryant and the Lakers defense made sure Indiana never had much of a chance at No. 3.
Indiana shot 35.4 percent from the field. The Pacers were led by Jermaine O'Neal, who scored 12 of his 18 points from the free-throw line, and Reggie Miller, who scored 15 points.
And the Pacers never led after O'Neal completed a three-point play 52 seconds into the second quarter.
Spurs 93, Celtics 90
Boston Steve Smith scored 13 points in the final 6:20, including a go-ahead jumper with just over a minute to play to lead San Antonio over Boston. There was a 21 minute power-outage with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter with the Spurs ahead 65-59. San Antonio then needed Smith's clutch shooting to beat the Celtics for the eighth straight time. There were nine lead changes and five ties in a seesaw fourth quarter. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 31 points, including 26 in the second half.
Magic 102, 76ers 91
Philadelphia Tracy McGrady scored 26 points and Horace Grant added 21, leading Orlando over Philadelphia. Orlando has won four straight to go over the .500 mark for the first time since Dec. 8. Philadelphia, which had won three of four after losing 13 of 18, fell to 15-20.
Hornets 111, Hawks 87
Charlotte, N.C. Elden Campbell had 22 points and 13 rebounds as Charlotte won consecutive games for the first time in a month. The victory came amid reports that team owners are close to filing with the NBA for relocation. Campbell was 7-of-8 from the field. Hawks forward Toni Kukoc is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks after breaking his right wrist. Kukoc fell under the basket.
Timberwolves 111, SuperSonics 106
Minneapolis Kevin Garnett scored 29 points and Anthony Peeler added 26, including seven three-pointers, as Minnesota beat Seattle. Peeler's seven shots from the behind the arc were the most by a Minnesota player this year. His seventh three-pointer put Minnesota ahead 86-73 with 8:53 to go in the fourth quarter.
Raptors 85, Bulls 73
Chicago Vince Carter scored four of his 19 points after returning from a twisted ankle, and Alvin Williams added 18 as Toronto beat Chicago for the 12th straight time. Toronto snapped a two-game losing streak and handed the Bulls their fifth straight loss. Antonio Davis added to the balanced attack with 17 points.
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