George Hill bemoans Lakers fans taking over in Indiana
Pacers guard George Hill was bothered by how many Lakers fans took over an Indiana home game Friday night.
“They always say your fans are your sixth man and you feed off that energy,” Hill told Mike Wells of IndyStar.com. “Energy is down and we turn the ball over and we’re hearing cheers. We’re missing shots and we’re hearing cheers.”
The Lakers pulled out a 99-93 victory at Indianapolis despite Kobe Bryant going scoreless in only 12 minutes with a sprained ankle.
“It was like 70/30 out there,” said Hill of the Lakers-to-Pacers fans ratio. “These are the same people that want autographs after the game. We’re out there in the community. We’re doing our job, doing what we’re supposed to do on and off the court. Something has to change.”
“It shouldn’t feel like an away game, especially with an important [one] like this,” Hill continued. “Tonight, that’s what it felt like.”
Depending on the city, the Lakers tend to get strong support on the road. Bryant has even gotten an “MVP” chant in Boston. The crowd gave boisterous support to the Lakers on Friday.
“That kind of brings your head down cause you know you’re at home,” said Hill. “It shouldn’t be like that.”
ALSO:
Unusual suspects carry Lakers over Pacers, 99-93
Live chat: Can the Lakers survive without Kobe Bryant?
Will the Heat threaten the Lakers’ record 33-game winning streak?
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
More to Read
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.