Lakers Gameday | 12/21/07 | Lakers 106, 76ers 101
Video: Highlights Four Lakers score at least 20 in Friday Win Not even Dr. J could inspire the 76ers. On a night Julius Erving and Philadelphia's 1983 championship team was honored, Andrew Bynum and the Lakers stole the show. Bynum scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom had 21 and 11 to lead Los Angeles to a 106-101 win over the Sixers on Friday night. Erving tried to motivate the Sixers with a speech at the morning shootaround. The Sixers could have used the Hall of Famer in his prime instead. Andre Miller scored 21 points, Andre Iguodala had 20, and Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 14 rebounds. Kobe Bryant took 10 of his 20 shots in the first quarter and finished with 21 points. Bryant failed to thrill his hometown fans, but he did leave Philly with a more memorable keepsake: the Lakers' first regular season win in the city since February 2000. Derek Fisher scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run late in the third, including a go-ahead jumper off the break, that put the Lakers ahead for good and helped them take an 84-81 lead into the fourth. He finished with 21 points. The Sixers pulled within five late in the game, but Bryant sank all three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt to put the Lakers up 99-91. Erving and Clint Richardson took part in a halftime celebration for the 1982-83 championship team. That team -- which also included current Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks and Moses Malone -- swept the Lakers in four games and was the last of Philadelphia's four major pro sports teams to win a championship. Erving received a rousing ovation from the crowd, one of the largest and liveliest of the season. "Twenty-five years is much too long, so let's get it done," Dr. J told the fans. Bryant sat at his locker before the game and talked about how in his formative years he tried to pattern his game after the high-flying Erving and how once all he thought about was playing for the Sixers. Now he gets a thrill from beating them. Loved and loathed by the hometown fans, Bryant always tries to put on a spectacular show. Coach Phil Jackson said before the game he was worried Bryant would take too many shots or try and win the game all on his own. Early in the game, that seemed to be Bryant's plan. He picked Thaddeus Young clean, then finished the play on the other end with a layup off a give-and-go. Bryant later sank a wide open 3 then shot a look that said "take that!" to some of the front row fans who heckled him. Bryant, though, cooled after the first quarter. Bynum scored 18 of the Lakers' first 38 points, a stretch that also saw him hit the 1,000 career point mark. The Sixers gamely kept pace with the Lakers, the highlight coming on a Miller steal from the left side where the he passed the ball to Iguodala in the middle who had the assist to a streaking Green on a thunderous dunk from the right. That was the final basket of the half and gave the Sixers a 56-53 lead at the break. Game notes Lakers-Bulls Preview By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA, STATS Senior Writer Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers have had little success playing in the star's hometown this decade. Bryant will try to help the Lakers snap a seven-game road losing streak to the Philadelphia 76ers as the teams meet for the first time this season Friday night. The game will mark the 11th time Bryant will play in the city he was born. Bryant, who played high school ball some eight miles outside the city in Lower Merion, Pa., is averaging 22.1 points on the road against the 76ers, but is 2-8 against them. Los Angeles (15-10) won 87-84 on Feb. 20, 2000, for its most recent victory at Philadelphia, but has won two of the last three meetings between the clubs overall. Bryant averaged 32.5 points in two games last season against Philadelphia and had 30 in a 108-92 road loss to the 76ers on March 9. Bryant scored 21 points, while Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum each posted double-doubles Thursday, but Los Angeles couldn't hold a five-point, fourth-quarter lead and fell 94-90 at Cleveland for its first loss in three games. It marked the first time in eight games the Lakers failed to score 100 points. Odom had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Bynum added 17 and 11. It was the second straight double-double for each player. "Balance, that's been the case the whole season,'' said Odom, who averages 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. The Lakers balanced offense has helped take some pressure off Bryant, who was held below his 26.6 average for the third time in four games. With LeBron James guarding him, Bryant was held scoreless the final 2:23. He couldn't connect on a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left as the Lakers went 0-for-8 from the floor in the final 4 minutes and lost for just the second time in their last eight contests. "It felt good," Bryant said of the final 3. "As soon as it left my hands, I thought it was going down. I was mad it didn't go in.'' The Lakers look to bounce back as they play the third of a four-game road trip that started with a 103-91 win at Chicago on Tuesday and concludes at New York on Sunday. Philadelphia (10-15) returns home after splitting a pair of road games. The Sixers were unable to build off a 92-86 win at Cleveland on Saturday in a 102-85 defeat at Indiana on Wednesday. Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller each scored 16 points, and center Samuel Dalembert had 15 and 14 rebounds for the 76ers, who shot a season-low 34.6 percent and were outscored 52-38 in the second half. "It was just a case of our offense going flat,'' Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Our offense didn't score the ball.'' Iguodala, who averages a team-leading 18.0 points, averaged 25.0 last season versus the Lakers. He had 31 points in the March meeting. While the 76ers hope for a better offensive effort Friday, they'll also be forced to play better defense against the Lakers, who average 106.3 points per contest. Philadelphia, which allows 94.2 points, gave up more than 100 points for the second time in three games against the Pacers. The 76ers lost 109-99 to Sacramento last Friday. "(Thursday) wasn't our best defensive performance," Philadelphia's Kyle Korver said. "We need to watch the tape of this game, and go back to doing what we did before.'' Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited |
GAME NOTES SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS The Lakers split last season’s series with the 76ers 1-1 for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. This will be the 177th meeting between the two franchises, with Los Angeles holding a 96-80 all-time series lead. The Lakers are 7-1 all-time against the 76ers at STAPLES Center. The Lakers have not won in Philadelphia since February of 2000, losing their last seven straight and nine of their last 10 road games against the 76ers. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 8-6 versus Philadelphia (7-0 at home, 1-6 on the road). Kobe Bryant has played 20 games (16 starts) against his hometown Sixers, averaging 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 36.1 minutes. In January of 2006 against Philadelphia, Bryant established a new franchise record for three-point field goals without a miss, connecting on all seven of his attempts (10th time in NBA history with a minimum of seven attempts). He finished the game with 48 points, one shy of Jerry West’s Lakers series record of 49 points established in February of 1968. Additionally, Bryant earned the first of his two MVP honors at the 2002 All-Star Game held in Philadelphia. Also, Sixers guard Andre Iguodala played two seasons at the University of Arizona and was a freshman during Luke Walton’s final season as a Wildcat in 2002-03.
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BRYANT LEADS ALL WESTERN CONF. PLAYERS AFTER 1ST ROUND OF ALL-STAR BALLOTING |
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