Lakers Gameday | 03/17/09 | Sixers 94, Lakers 93
 Los Angeles Lakers
Western Conference Standing : 1 Streak: Lost 1 |
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 Philadelphia 76ers
Eastern Conference Standing : 6 Streak: Won 4 |
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---Francisco Gomez, Lakers.com
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Iguodala's 3 at buzzer gives Sixers win
LOS ANGELES(AP) Andre Iguodala scored 25 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 94-93 on Tuesday night. The Sixers were trailing 78-67 when interim coach Tony DiLeo put little-used forward Donyell Marshall into the game for the first time, hoping he could the same spark he did in Sunday's 85-77 win over Miami when he scored 10 fourth-quarter points - his first since Feb. 17. The 14-year veteran drained a 3-pointer 19 seconds later, igniting a 20-2 blitz that turned Philadelphia's 12-point deficit into an 86-80 lead with 5:24 to play. Marshall capped the rally with another 3-pointer, then hit his third 3 of the game to put the Sixers back in front 91-89 with 2:22 left. Pau Gasol hit two free throws for the Lakers with 1:39 to go, and Kobe Bryant - who scored 11 points during a foul-plagued 33 minutes - hit a 3-pointer for a 93-91 lead after missing his previous five shots. Then Andre Miller inbounded to Iguodala, who was covered loosely by Trevor Ariza before connecting from the top of the key. The Lakers were ahead 59-58 when Bryant tried to set a screen for Ariza and was called for an offensive foul with 6:52 left in the third quarter. That was Bryant's fourth of the game, and the reigning MVP didn't report back in until the start of the fourth period. In the meantime, the Lakers outscored Philadelphia 10-0 over the final 3:03 of the quarter to pull ahead 73-62, and Jordan Farmar's 3-pointer gave Los Angeles its biggest lead, 76-62, 16 seconds into the final period. Gasol had 25 points for the defending Western Conference champion Lakers (53-14), who slipped a full game behind Cleveland for the NBA's best record with 15 games remaining. Bryant failed to go to the free throw line for the fourth time this season, and this was the first time the Lakers lost when that happened. The Sixers missed 10 of their first 11 shots while Los Angeles opened the game with a 12-2 run. But the Lakers were plagued by foul problems the rest of the half, leaving the floor at halftime tied 50-50 after squandering an early 11-point lead. Farmar, the first player off the Los Angeles bench, picked up three fouls in his first 3:46 on the court and spent the final 10 minutes of the half on the bench wearing a towel around his neck. Bryant got his third foul with exactly 4 minutes left in the second quarter and the score tied at 40. Gasol, 10-for-10 from the field in the first half of Sunday's game, was 6-for-7 before halftime against Philadelphia. His rejection of Lou Williams' layup with 26 seconds left in the second quarter extended his streak to a season-best seven straight games with at least one blocked shot. Notes: The defeat was the Lakers' first at home since their double-overtime loss to Charlotte on Jan. 27. They are 30-5 at Staples Center. ... The 76ers are 20-48 against teams coached by Phil Jackson, including a 3-12 mark in the playoffs. ... Bryant, who attended Philadelphia's Lower Merion High School, is averaging 22.9 points and 46.5 percent from the field in 24 career games against his hometown team. His high-point game against them is 48, on Jan. 6, 2006, when he made all seven 3-point shots in a 119-93 win after serving a two-game suspension. ... Miller, who turns 33 Thursday, played in his 513th consecutive game - the NBA's longest active streak. Copyright 2008 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
LAKERS - SIXERS PREVIEW
When Kobe Bryant's teammates raise their game the way they did in Los Angeles' last contest, the Lakers become all the more difficult to beat. Los Angeles goes for its fourth straight win overall and fourth in a row over the Philadelphia 76ers, who open a five-game road trip Tuesday night looking to inch closer to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers (53-13) won their seventh in a row at home Sunday, 107-100 over Dallas. Bryant, third in the NBA at 28.0 points per game, matched his average and hit two 3-pointers during a 12-0 fourth-quarter spurt to answer a 21-2 Dallas run. The Lakers, however, received a major contribution from Trevor Ariza, who scored a career-high 26 points and shot 9-of-13 from the floor. Making his third consecutive start and fourth of the season, Ariza scored six straight points during the Lakers' late-game surge. "It doesn't surprise me at all,'' Bryant said. "He just knocked down the shots that we see him knock down in practice all the time. "He works extremely hard on his game, he's extremely patient and very efficient. One of Trevor's best features is his length and his speed, which allows us to put him on guards that are smaller than him. That way he can block the court a little more.'' The 6-foot-8 Ariza could find himself matched up with Philadelphia's Andre Miller. The 76ers point guard recorded his second straight double-double Sunday with 10 points and 11 assists in an 85-77 win over Miami - Philadelphia's third in a row. Miller, who had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 114-102 loss to Los Angeles on Dec. 3, is 0-12 against the Lakers at Staples Center. Los Angeles won the teams' most recent meeting there 124-93 on Jan. 4, 2008. Bryant had 15 points in just 29 minutes of that contest as the Lakers shot 66.2 percent from the field. He scored 32 points in the Dec. 3 win. Pau Gasol looks for his fourth straight 20-plus point game Tuesday after scoring 25 on 12-of-13 shooting against Dallas. Gasol has four consecutive double-doubles versus the 76ers, averaging 24.0 points and 12.8 rebounds in that span. Philadelphia (33-31) begins its western swing after defeating Miami 85-77 on Sunday, pulling within two games of the fifth-place Heat in the East. "That was an important game for us,'' said 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo, whose team will play its next five games in seven days. "We hung in there and kept playing hard and thought at some point, maybe from their fatigue, they would wear down a bit.'' Philadelphia allowed its lowest point total of the season, but will now face a Los Angeles team that's among the league leaders with 108.2 points per game. Louis Williams is averaging just 8.0 points during the 76ers' three-game winning streak, but he'll look for another solid performance off the bench against the Lakers. Williams hit three 3s and scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter in the teams' first meeting this season. He's averaging 12.0 points in 2008-09. Los Angeles has won three straight and eight of nine at home against Philadelphia. Copyright 2008 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
NOTES & CONNECTIONS The Lakers lead their season series with Philadelphia 1-0 after sweeping last season’s series 2-0 for the first time since the 1999-00 season. This will be the 262nd meeting between the two franchises dating back to 1950 (180th in the Los Angeles era) and the 154th since the Sixers moved to Philadelphia prior to the 1963- 64 season. The Lakers are 8-1 all-time against the 76ers at STAPLES Center and are undefeated at home in the regular season against Philadelphia under head coach Phil Jackson (8-0). Under Jackson, the Lakers are 11-6 versus Philadelphia (8-0 at home, 3-6 on the road). Kobe Bryant has played 23 games (19 starts) against his hometown Sixers, averaging 23.4 points per game. 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. Pau Gasol is the only other Laker averaging 20-plus points against the Sixers for his career, posting a 22.0 average over 13 games with a high of 34 points. 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, Lamar Odom and Elton Brand (as well as Ron Artest) played together as teenagers in the famed AAU program at Riverside Church in New York and Philadelphia guard Kareem Rush (2002-04) played just over two seasons with the Lakers, averaging 4.3 points in 162 games.
LAKERS SCOUTING REPORT
Philadelphia is a team with some talented young players but they have been inconsistent this season. They prefer to play at a frenetic, up-and-down pace. It will be up to us to make sure they have to execute offensively in the half court. If we take quick long shots or turn the ball over it will lead to a flurry of Philly points. The Sixers achieve most of their penetrations off the dribble and they have bigs who are active and long and do a good job of pursuing offensive rebounds. Our defenders on the perimeter must take away the direct line to the basket of the Philadelphia ball handlers. If we are not able to accomplish this task then our bigs on the back line of the defense will have to come over and help and that’s what opens the second chance opportunities for players such as Dalembert and Reggie Evans. Philly does a great job of manufacturing points off of their defense. Andre Miller has a craftiness with the ball and is capable of creating offense in their secondary break situations. Their lane runners love to look for lobs and Miller is very good at making the long lob pass. We also need to stay down on his pump fakes. The Sixers have no designated 3 point shooter (however they do have players capable of having a hot night from behind the line) and are last in the NBA in 3 point shooting. Defensively, the Sixers will pick up and pressure our guards up the court. They also like to deny wing entry passes so we must be ready to excute our automatic pressure releases within our offensive structure. Their overall goal is to create a situation where the offense plays at a faster pace than they normally do and the result will be turnovers that get turned quickly into points. The best part of their offense is their defense so we must be crisp with our passes. They have shown some zone defense and after our poor showing against the Dallas zone defense on Sunday we should expect to see some zone tonight. Philly will play hard and compete tonight. They have young players who will gain confidence as the game goes on if we allow them to stay close. Our focus should be sharper than it was on Sunday.
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