Kobe, Lakers Handle AI, Sixers
It started as the Los Angeles Lakers against the Philadelphia 76ers, but it ended up being vintage AI taking on Kobe as the Lakers defeated the Sixers, 99-91 at the Wacovia Center. Both superstars started off slowly and deferred to their teammates as the Lakers took a meager 19-18 lead after the first quarter. Neither team appeared very sharp early and with Kobe picking up two quick fouls and relegated to the bench, it was Ron Artest (18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists) who picked up the scoring slack with 10 points in the period. Elton Brand (19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocked shots) carried the Sixers with 9 points in the first stanza. For his part, Brand appeared a bit more motivated, perhaps because he was playing against his former roomies from down the hallway.
Pau Gasol (19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Lamar Odom (13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots, 2 steals) were active in the second period and extended the lead to 8-points. Philly stayed close early in the period but the size and depth of the Lakers began taking its toll. Samuel Dalembert (10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 3 steals, 2 assists) and Thaddeus Young (10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) off the bench injected some life into the 15-31 Sixers, but the Lakers maintained their balanced scoring to head into halftime with a 51-42 advantage. The 3rd quarter started with a bang as Kobe (24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots) quickly nailed a turnaround jumper followed by a pull-up perimeter jumper. Iverson (23 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds) started heating up as well as he drained a 17-footer followed by an off-balance heave off the backboard. The home town fans began to feel the tension build as the the two superstars began matching one another basket for basket.
AI connected on a pair of three-pointers, added a conventional 3-point play, and hit a 16-footer for 11 consecutive points in a span of just over two minutes. But Philly still trailed the Lakers behind the play of Derek Fisher (9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) and Kobe. Kobe finished out the quarter with 6-straight points to give him 14 for the quarter, surpassed only by AI’s 15. But the support from the rest of the squad handed the Lakers a comfortable 76-67 lead. The 4th started with Kobe hitting three straight jumpers to give the Lakers a ten-point cushion at 82-72. Philly frantically tried to make up ground and narrowed the deficit to 6 points, but the Lakers continued with their balanced attack and withstood the Sixers comeback attempt. Artest’s second trey with 1:44 left to go gave the Lakers an insurmountable 96-84 lead. The Sixers last ditch effort found them getting close but free throws at the end carried the Lakers to the 4th road victory heading into Sunday’s confrontation with the Boston Celtics on national TV.
