Pacers' Hibbert gets nose broken in victory over Lakers - Indianapolis Star

LOS ANGELES â€" Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert knew what the medical staff at the Staples Center wanted him to do.

Hibbert didn’t want to follow their advice, though.

The only thing Hibbert could think about was getting back on the court to help his teammates overcome their double-digit deficit to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hibbert, with cotton stuffed in his broken nose, returned to the game and was the best player on the court during the final 22 minutes he played.

Hibbert used his scoring and passing skills to help the Pacers beat the Lakers 98-96 on Sunday.

“A valiant effort by Roy Hibbert after getting a broken nose in the first half, coming back and really carrying us in the second half,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

Hibbert scored 18 points, grabbed eight assists and dished out four assists.

Hibbert suffered the broken nose when he took an inadvertent elbow from Lakers do-everything-player Kobe Bryant in the first quarter.

Hibbert went back to the locker room to meet with medical personnel.

It was recommended to him that he sit out the rest of the game because they didn’t have a mask for his nose that would fit him.

“I said if I get hit again and it gets messed up, I’ll just get cosmetic surgery if I have to,” Hibbert said. “I wanted to get this win.”

Hibbert returned to the game with about five minutes remaining in the first half and the Pacers down by nine points.

But the Pacers came back to life with Hibbert back on the court because they didn’t have to worry about having a significant size disadvantage with David West and

Tyler Hansbrough playing center and power forward, respectively.

Hibbert repeatedly got deep position in the post against the Lakers big men. All he had to do was flick the ball in with a hook shot.

He scored 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the second half. Hibbert’s dish to Darren Collison for a layup off a give-and-go play put the Pacers up 95-94 with 1:15 remaining in the game.

After Collison made two free throws to make it 97-94 with 8.2 seconds left, Bryant missed a 3-pointer from straight away with 2.4 seconds left in the game.
Bryant finished with 33 points on 14-of-30 shooting.

The only thing Hibbert did wrong on the night was that he caused several stoppages in play so that blood could be cleaned up off the court.

“We knew he could get early position by looking at the film of the Lakers,” Pacers forward Danny Granger said. “He was shooting layups basically. He had a great night minus his broken nose and blood everywhere.”

The victory is the second in a row for the Pacers (11-4) at the Staples Center after losing 11 straight there.

The Pacers started their three-game West Coast trip with a disappointing loss to Sacramento, but they bounced back by winning their final two games.

“This game wasn’t a surprise for us,” Granger said. “We let some games get away. We come into arenas expecting to win, not as underdogs.”

As they’ve done all season, the Pacers had a balanced scoring attack. They had six players score in double figures, including Granger’s 16 points.

“This is what our team is all about,” Vogel said. “It's not about a super team or superstars. It's about a balanced attack…This team has an incredible desire to compete and to win collectively. They know this can be a special year. I’ve never been around a team with the desire this team has.”

Call Star reporter Mike Wells at (317) 444-6053.