Lakers-76ers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Feb 06 2012 12:23PM

It may be somewhat surprising the Los Angeles Lakers aren't in first place. It's much more stunning the Philadelphia 76ers are.

Kobe Bryant would like to change the Lakers' status soon, but improvement on the road is needed.

Bryant gets a chance to climb the NBA's all-time scoring list while trying to help the Lakers bounce back from another road defeat as they face the 76ers on Monday night.

Los Angeles (14-10) has won the Pacific Division four consecutive seasons, winning two NBA titles and making a third finals appearance in that span. Things aren't going as smoothly in 2011-12, as the Lakers are second in the division, 1 1/2 games back of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Their 3-8 road record is one of the reasons for that gap, and those struggles continued with a 96-87 loss at Utah on Saturday.

"We just have to be patient, just be calm. We've been in this situation before," Bryant said after scoring 26 points.

Los Angeles has split the first two of this season-high six-game road trip, and will have to make do without Mike Brown on Monday. The league's 2009 coach of the year was suspended one game for making contact with an official while picking up two technicals in the fourth quarter against the Jazz.

Former 76ers assistant John Kuester will coach the team in Philadelphia.

Bryant leads the NBA with 29.4 points per game, an increase of 4.1 points from last season. The All-Star guard is also 24 points shy of passing former Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal (28,596) for fifth on the league's all-time scoring list, and he's averaged 25.0 points in helping the Lakers win nine of the last 11 versus the 76ers (17-7).

Bryant, though, scored just nine in his last visit to Philadelphia on Dec. 17, 2010, but Los Angeles overcame that to win 93-81. He was much better at home Dec. 31, 2010, scoring 33 points to power a 102-98 win and sweep of the season series.

The Sixers, however, might be the most improved team in the NBA this season. They're the surprising leaders in the Atlantic Division after finishing .500 last season and being eliminated in five games by Miami in the opening round of the playoffs.

Philadelphia also leads the Eastern Conference with a 12-3 home record despite a 99-79 defeat there to the Heat on Friday. The 76ers regrouped a day later by winning 98-87 at Atlanta, getting their fifth victory in six overall games.

They're also proving to be very balanced offensively, and that was clear against the Hawks. Six players - five reserves - reached double-digit points with rookie backup forward-center Nikola Vucevic leading the way with a season-high 15. He averages 5.5 points.

"That's what you've got to have," center Spencer Hawes said. "That's the measure of teams that are able to thrive in this kind of setup."

Philadelphia may need Vucevic and the rest of the bench to continue contributing, as Elton Brand's status is unknown after he sat out Saturday's win with a sprained right thumb. The forward is averaging 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Hawes believes the compressed schedule due to the lockout is one reason the Sixers are getting balanced scoring. Six players are averaging at least 10.0 points, with Louis Williams leading the way at 15.1 points per game.

"This season is going to be weird like that." said Hawes, who is averaging 10.7 points and 8.5 boards. "There's going to be different guys every night."

Williams rallies 76ers to 95-90 win over Lakers

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Feb 06 2012 11:12PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Kobe Bryant had his place in history. With "Beat L.A.!" echoing through a second straight sellout crowd, Lou Williams had his shot to remember.

Williams nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer, scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, and spoiled Bryant's record-setting night while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to 95-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Williams hit the tying jumper, then followed with the 3 for a 91-88 lead in front of 20,064 fans - a number that for the first time in years was there to root on the Sixers instead of simply to boo Bryant. Williams hit another floater to make it 93-88, part of a fantastic fourth that saw him hold off Bryant and help the Sixers improve to 13-3 at home.

"From the start of my basketball career, and for as long as I could remember, I've always played well in the fourth quarter," Williams said. "I know that's the most important time of a basketball game."

Bryant scored 24 of his 28 points in the first half. He passed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and moved into fifth place on the NBA's career scoring list. Bryant got 24 points in a hurry to pass O'Neal, but stumbled down the stretch and missed nine of his 10 shots in the fourth.

The 33-year-old Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer with 29.4 points, has 28,601 career points.

Bryant said it was an honor to pass O'Neal because of "our history."

"All the battles we've been in, the playoff battles, the duo that we've been able to form," Bryant said. "When you (consider) the championships, it makes it a little more significant."

Andrew Bynum had 20 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers. Pau Gasol had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers fell to 3-9 on the road.

The Sixers went 3-1 last week against a fierce lineup of Orlando, Chicago, Miami (the loss) and Atlanta. It's more of the same this week: San Antonio is here Wednesday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

The Sixers have proven they can handle the rugged schedule.

They committed only four turnovers, a minuscule number that was enough to make up for getting pounded on the boards. Led by Bynum and Gasol, the Lakers outrebounded Philadelphia 55-30.

Williams, one of the top sixth men in the NBA, has never been afraid to take the clutch shot. While the Sixers have soared in the East this season with a team-oriented approach, Williams is the one the Sixers want with the ball and the game on the line.

"That was an amazing win for us," coach Doug Collins said.

Lakers coach Mike Brown must have been unhappy watching on TV. Brown served a one-game suspension for making contact with a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection in Saturday's game. He also was fined $25,000. John Keuster filled in for Brown.

Bryant started like a shooter determined to score 50.

His first bucket saw the ball take a few whirls around the rim before plopping through the net. Bryant buried a 3, then backed down Evan Turner and used a soft touch off a spin move for seven quick points.

He stared down Andre Iguodala for a 3. Bryant nailed two more 3-pointers - each one drawing more boos than the last - and had 22 points in the second quarter.

For the record setter, Bryant cut toward the top of the 3-point arc, took a fast feed from Matt Barnes and hit the 23-footer.

Originally called a 3, Bryant had his foot on the line. Three points or two, it was enough to pass O'Neal.

Bryant went 8 for 14 from the floor and made 4 of 6 3s in the first half to help the Lakers lead 50-46 at the break.

He went into hibernation until an up-and-under bucket late in the third pulled the Lakers to 63-61.

O'Neal and Bryant often clashed, even while leading the Lakers to NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. O'Neal won an NBA championship with Miami in 2006 to briefly edge Bryant in total championships. Under coach Phil Jackson, Bryant won consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and had long ago cemented his spot as one of the NBA's all-time greats.

Kobe already had more championship rings than Shaq. He has more points, too.

"I just want No. 6," Bryant said.

The Sixers failed to acknowledge the special achievement.

O'Neal offered his congratulations on Twitter: "Congrats to Kobe for being the greatest laker ever thanks for making us the greatest laker one two punch ever and congrats on passin me up 2."

"I appreciate it. I'm sure Shaq and I will connect at some point and revisit history," he said. "It's fun. We had some good times."

Bryant, who spent eight years of his childhood in Italy before returning to the area to attend high school, had already been the youngest player in NBA history to reach 28,000 points.

Bryant led Lower Merion to a state championship in 1996 and still makes visits and donations to the school.

The relationship between Philly fans and Bryant has been strained since the 2001 NBA finals against the Sixers, when he proclaimed he was "coming to Philly to cut their hearts out." That began an unforgiving attitude from Sixers fanatics that continues to this day.

When commissioner David Stern presented Bryant with the All-Star game MVP trophy in 2002 in Philadelphia, the boos were long and loud, and he later admitted he was hurt.

He now feeds off Philadelphia's sound and delights in upsetting the home crowd.

It just wasn't enough to upset the 76ers.

Notes: 76ers F Elton Brand sat out with a sprained right thumb. Lavoy Allen got the start. ... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are ahead of Bryant on the scoring list. ... The Sixers 14 rebounds in the first half was a season low.

Notebook: Sixers 95, Lakers 90

Posted Monday February 6, 2012 10:17PM

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Lou Williams sparked a late comeback with 24 points, leading the Philadelphia 76ers past the Los Angeles Lakers 95-90 Monday night before a sellout crowd of 20,064 at the Wells Fargo Center. Jrue Holiday scored 13 points and Andre Iguodala had 12 for the Sixers (18-7), who improved to 13-3 at home.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points while Andrew Bynum was terrific with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Pau Gasol also earned a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers couldn't hold a seven-point lead in the final 4:36 and dropped to 1-2 on a six-game road trip.

QUOTABLE: "Lou got hot at the right time for us."
-- Sixers coach Doug Collins, on Williams.

THE STAT: The Sixers committed a season-low four turnovers, a floor record for any team since this arena opened in 1996.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 86-79 with 4:36 remaining, the Sixers proceeded on a 14-2 run anchored by Williams. He scored seven straight during the spurt.

HOT: Williams was 7-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point territory and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. More than that, he made a number of clutch shots when the Sixers needed them most down the stretch.

NOT: Bryant was 2-for-12 in the second half and 1-for-10 in the fourth. He did finish with 28 points, but struggled with his shot after halftime.

QUOTABLE II: "He's our closer. When he comes in at the end, he has the ability to make plays."
-- Sixers center Spencer Hawes, on Williams.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Bynum recorded the second 20-20 game of his career. Eight of his 20 rebounds were off the offensive glass. Bynum added three assists and three blocked shots for a stellar all-around effort.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The Lakers always draw a big crowd and this scene was no different. The fans were boisterous from the opening tip and included former Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez taking in the action front a front-row seat. Eagles running back LeSean McCoy also attended the game.

QUOTABLE III: "I think we'll be alright. We've got to score. The defense is doing what it needs to do."
-- Bynum, on the Lakers shooting 8-for-24 in the fourth quarter.

GOOD MOVE: The Sixers rotated Iguodala and Evan Turner on Bryant during the second half. They made Bryant work extra hard on the offensive end and it paid off in the end.

BAD MOVE: Bynum was unstoppable at times and the Lakers probably could have gone to him even more.

ROOKIE WATCH: Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock scored nine points and had two assists while guard Darius Morris didn't play. For the Sixers, forward Lavoy Allen started for the second straight game and had four points, four rebounds and three assists. Nikola Vucevic scored eight points and swept six rebounds.

NOTABLE: Bryant needed just 23 points to pass former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the league's all-time scoring list. Bryant poured in 24 in the first half. O'Neal scored 28,596 points with five NBA teams in 19 seasons. Next up is Wilt Chamberlain in fourth place with 31,419 points. ... Sixers forward Elton Brand missed his second consecutive game with a sprained right thumb. ... The Sixers had only 14 rebounds in the first half, their season low for a half. ... Philadelphia had lost four straight at home to the Lakers before Monday. ... The sellout crowd of 20,064 was the second consecutive for the Sixers following last Friday's game against the Miami Heat. ... The Sixers won despite being outrebounded 55-30. It's just the sixth time dating to the start of the 2000-01 season that a team has won a game in which it was outrebounded by 25 or more. ... The Lakers scored two fast-break points.

NEXT: For the Lakers, Thursday @ Boston, Friday @ New York, Sunday @ Toronto. For the Sixers, Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Friday vs. L.A. Clippers, Saturday @ Cleveland.

• Lakers: Blake, Caracter
• 76ers: Brand

• Lakers: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 16
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #20 Leroy Richardson, #22 Bill Spooner, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 20064
• Duration: 2:10