INDIANAPOLIS -- The way Indiana Pacers leading scorer Paul George evaluates an 82-game regular season, a loss in early November can be just as damaging as a defeat in late March or early April, especially at home to a sub-.500 opponent.

So, George took the game into his own hands Tuesday night, scoring Indiana's final 12 points, including the go-ahead field goal with 1:39 remaining, and the Pacers rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-108.

George, who was 12 of 12 from the free-throw line, scored eight in the final 1:39 to finish with a game-high and season-high 30 points.

"This was a game that could have come back to haunt us in March or April, and that's what you have to avoid," said native Californian George, who added seven rebounds, an assist and four steals. "Coach relies on me down the stretch, and I was able to come through.

"But on defense, we were giving up way too many easy points, and that's what kept them in the game. Defense has to mean more to us. We have to have a better approach."

Indiana (2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Lakers fell to 1-3 with their third consecutive loss, all on the road.

Monta Ellis added 17 points for Indiana, CJ Miles had 16 and Thaddeus Young scored 14. Lou Williams had 19 for the Lakers, Jordan Clarkson scored 15 and D'Angelo Russell and Larry Nance Jr. each added 11.

Williams' 3-point play with 3:50 to go pulled the Lakers to within 105-104, and Los Angeles took a 108-107 lead with 1:56 to play before George took over.

"Down the stretch, Paul hit a big shot, and we wanted the ball in his hands," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "We hit some big shots, but I still would like to see more flow in our offense. We were fortunate that Paul was able to take advantage of some matchups late in the fourth quarter.

"We still have to iron out some wrinkles on both ends, but we also know we can't play a perfect game for 48 minutes."

McMillan said Ellis carried the Pacers offensively until George took over.

"All I was trying to do was just get into the flow of the game and help us maintain a lead," Ellis said.

Indiana shot 47.1 percent from the field (41 of 87), including 10 of 28 from 3-point range. The Lakers shot 44.9 percent (40 of 89) but were only 6 of 28 from 3-point range. Indiana outscored Los Angeles 27-18 in points as the result of turnovers.

"I really liked the way we battled to get back in the game in the second half, and we started playing with the energy and the effort we needed to play with the whole game," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "The first half was the worst half of basketball we have had all season. Then at the end, Paul George was really good."

Nance liked the Lakers' second half defense.

"It was all about our aggressiveness," Nance said. "In the first half, we allowed too many easy plays. In the second half, we got up in them more."

An Aaron Brooks 3-pointer with 7:19 remaining pushed the Indiana lead to 94-89, then Jeff Teague's jumper and Myles Turner's three-point play extended the advantage to 101-94 with 5:25remaining.

The Lakers opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run, slicing the Pacers' lead to 64-63. Indiana then extended its lead to 84-79 through 36 minutes. George had 18 points through three periods, Miles had 16 and Ellis had 15.

The Lakers outscored the Pacers 11-1 from the free-throw line in the third quarter.

George had 13 points, and Young added 12 during the first half, leading the Pacers to a 62-51 advantage through 24 minutes. Miles came off the bench to score 11 first-half points for Indiana.

The Pacers shot 47.6 percent (20 of 42), including 8 of 16 from 3-point range, in first-half action.

Luol Deng's eight points led the Lakers in the first two quarters, and Jose Calderon came off the bench for seven. Los Angeles shot 44.2 percent (19 of 43) in the first half but turned the ball over 11 times. Indiana converted those turnovers into 19 points.

NOTES: Pacers G Rodney Stuckey (pulled right hamstring) likely will be sidelined for several weeks ... The Lakers entered 1-0 at home and 0-2 on the road, and the Pacers entered 1-0 at home and 0-2 on the road ... Pacers G Jeff Teague, an Indianapolis native, is coming off a zero-points game (0 of 7 from the field) in a Saturday night loss at Chicago ... Indiana came in having beaten the Lakers in five of the six most recent meetings ... The Lakers have not won in Bankers Life Fieldhouse since March 15, 2013 ... Indiana leads the NBA in assists, averaging 28.7 a game, and is fifth in blocks with 6.3 ... The Lakers are fourth in steals with 10.3 per game and are seventh in opponents' 3-point field goal percentage (27.5) ... The Lakers were playing the third game in a four-game road trip that ends Wednesday night in Atlanta.