LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers were determined to protect their house.
O'Neal scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half as the Lakers set a Los Angeles-era record by winning their 25th consecutive regular-season home game, 99-77 over the Indiana Pacers.
Karl Malone added 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 10-0 this season at the Staples Center, where they have not dropped a regular-season game since February 16 against New York.
"We just want to stay dominant at home and beat the teams we're supposed to beat," O'Neal said. "And we're doing that."
The Lakers won their sixth in a row overall and snapped the Pacers' eight-game winning streak. Indiana entered the contest as the league's only unbeaten road team (7-0) and was allowing a league-low 80.4 points.
"On the defensive end and knowing the guys that we got, we take pride. Not just the starters, this team can be something special," Malone said. "We're showing signs and we're just going to get better."
The Lakers, who never trailed, held a 46-37 advantage at the break, despite receiving only five points from O'Neal, who picked up three early fouls and sat out the second quarter.
"They played 19 minutes without Shaq in the first half and had a nine-point lead," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Admittedly, we didn't play our best, but they had a lot to do with it.
"They're an exceptional, exceptional team right now. They're clicking on all cylinders. Everybody's talking about their offense but tonight, defensively they impressed me even more so."
The All-Star center could not be contained in the third quarter, scoring 10 points as the Lakers opened a 20-point lead. They took a 68-51 edge into the final period.
"I went to bed early last night. I was saying to myself, 'I want to get 50,'" said O'Neal, who had just seven points in a win over San Antonio on Friday after missing two games with a strained right calf. "I was really trying to go for 50. But I got called for three (bogus) fouls."
"He's a dominant player," Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal said. "Dominant players always find a way to get back on the court. In the third quarter, he just kinda took over. He was definitely the difference in the third quarter."
Al Harrington contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jermaine O'Neal chipped in 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting for the Pacers, who shot just 39 percent (27-of-69).
"This is the best team we've played so far because they kicked our (butts)," Harrington said.
The Pacers committed 23 turnovers that the Lakers converted into 25 points. Indiana scored only 10 points off 14 Los Angeles giveaways.
"They played at a very high level and we just weren't up to it for a full 48 minutes," Carlisle said. "They're the best team we've seen at this point."
