Orange County Register

INDIANAPOLIS – The Lakers put aside their disappointment at seeing good friends Brian Cook and Maurice Evans shipped out in trade and pounded the Indiana Pacers, 134-114, on Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant led a fierce attack on offense with 32 points in 31 minutes, but eight players scored in double figures – the first time the Lakers had that happen since 2003.

Bryant had told his teammates before the game that they could wallow in missing Cook and Evans later, but they needed to focus while on the court. Andrew Bynum, whom Bryant also advised before the game on how to defend Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal best, took heed – even though Bynum called Evans his “best friend.”

Bynum had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks – easily winning the head-to-head matchup with O’Neal, who has been slow to recover from knee surgery and had 14 points, three rebounds and no blocks. Bynum and Lamar Odom were discussed in a possible offseason trade for O’Neal.

SEEN

Cook, who couldn’t get a flight out Tuesday night to join the Orlando Magic in San Antonio, attended the Lakers-Pacers game and came down from the stands to talk to Bryant on the bench in the final minutes.

HEARD

Jackson roared at a timeout early in the second quarter after the Lakers failed to get a defensive rebound: “Get a … rebound! What the (expletive) are we doing out there?!”

THOUGHT

Jackson made a point to the team beforehand that the Lakers hadn’t won in four years at Conseco Fieldhouse, and several players mentioned it was on their minds.

NEXT

Lakers at Milwaukee, Tuesday, 5 p.m., KCAL/9, KLAC/570

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