INDIANAPOLIS _ The showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers later this week will still feature the league's two best records. But both teams will go into the game off a loss.
The Indiana Pacers halted the Lakers' 14-game road winning streak, by beating them, 105-102, on Tuesday night.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis, who sprained his right ankle on Sunday in Atlanta, and Kyle Kuzma, who has missed four games with a sprained left ankle. That meant Jared Dudley started at power forward for the Lakers.
Pacers power forward Domantas Sabonis led all scorers with 26 points.
Indiana led by as many as 10 points, but the Lakers kept the game close in the final minutes.
Dwight Howard and LeBron James led the team in scoring with 20 points each, but the pair combined to miss four consecutive free throws late in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Pacers to take the lead.
James drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Alex Caruso in the corner opposite the Pacers bench. Caruso missed the 3-pointer he attempted and the Pacers took the lead on their next possession.
James attempted a deep 3 with 11.7 seconds left in the game, and Rajon Rondo attempted to throw the ball off a Pacers player, but a review determined his foot hit the ground out of bounds before the ball had left his hand.
That meant Indiana had the ball with 10.8 seconds left in the game and a two-point lead. After Sabonis made one of two free throws, Rondo attempted a potential game-tying 3, which missed.
The Lakers are now 24-4 while the Pacers have improved to 19-9.
