In the fifth game of their eight game road trip, the Lakers dispatched of the Indiana Pacers, 118-96. Center Andrew Bynum had 27 big points, 20 of which came in the first half, yet was nearly bested by Pacer sophomore Roy Hibbert who had 21 points on 56% shooting.

For the Lakers, they needed a game in which they could cruise through most of the second half, after what has been a far more demanding road trip than anticipated with losses in Cleveland and Toronto and taxing grinders against New York and Washington.

There are some NBA players (they will certainly remain nameless) that are not capable of making the most of their opportunity. Be it 40 minutes or 40 seconds, Sasha Vujacic knows how to not only embrace his moment, but also take a giant rubber stamp reading “SASH” and smack it on the opposing team’s face.

Not to say that Sasha was the difference between victory and defeat (he wasn’t), but he made the most out of his three minutes and 40 seconds. Seeing his first court time in the waning moments of the first half, a play was drawn up for Sasha to hit a three in the corner, but instead of worrying purely about his scoring output, Sasha made the extra pass and found Lamar Odom wide open on the perimeter for a buzzer-beater three.

In garbage time, Sasha continued to make adept plays, converting on a layup where he was nearly brought to the ground, eventually hitting the free-throw and fighting for an offensive rebound when it kinda, sorta didn’t matter. It mattered to Sash. It is this determination and pep that should earn him more opportunities. And yes, there are some players on the team that can jump out of the gym (won’t name names again), but none are as tenacious and stridently passionate as Sash.

The Lakers continue their eastern voyage in Philadelphia tonight.