Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia 76ers
Game Recap: Lakers 93, 76ers 84
Snapshot: For the better part of Friday’s match-up at Staples Center, the 76ers (3-32) and Los Angeles Lakers (7-27) grinded through a tight, competitive, and – at times – physical game that featured little breathing room. In a decisive 31-point fourth quarter, however, the Lakers strung together a pivotal 13-2 run that gave them a firm grasp of the tilt. Los Angeles fended off the Sixers, 93-84, and in doing so, won back-to-back contests for the first time since February of 2015.
Nerlens Noel topped the Sixers on both ends of the court, posting team-highs with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The double-double was his second of the Sixers’ six-game road trip, and team-best ninth overall this season. With Ish Smith picking up three personal fouls in the first half, T.J. McConnell stepped in to give productive relief. He netted 12 points (5-6 fg) to reach double-figures for the first time in seven games. The undrafted rookie also distributed seven assists. Jahlil Okafor, used in a reserve capacity for a second straight outing, finished with 12 points (6-10 fg) and four rebounds.
Absent Kobe Bryant, who was sidelined with a sore right shoulder, the Lakers rode the contributions of younger players and veterans alike. Former Sixer Lou Williams drained 12 of his game-best 24 points in the fourth quarter. Second-year guard Jordan Clarkson collected 19 points, as he and Williams combined to go 17 of 21 from the free throw line. D’Angelo Russell, the second overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, couldn’t match the production of McConnell. Russell tallied six points (3-14 fg), and handed out five assists, while committing four turnovers.
Top Moment:
In delivering one of his most impressive buckets of the season, Nerlens Noel also provided a flashback moment to one of the top plays in recent Sixers history, which also, by coincidence, occurred at Staples Center. Four minutes into the third quarter, Noel gathered an offensive rebound following an Ish Smith missed jumpshot. From there, Noel offered a pretty good Allen-Iverson-stepping-over-Tyronn-Lue-in-Game-1-of-the-2001-NBA-Finals simulation; however, instead of doing a step-over on Lou Williams in the corner, like Iverson did with Lue, Noel made his move in the lane. Here’s video footage of Noel’s tough And-1:
http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-76ers/highlights-noel-c…
Brett Brown Said – On the Sixers’ effort in a narrow defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers:
“We felt like we were right there. We felt like our defense was holding the fort. We felt like we were there, and that we just needed to break it open with making some shots, and we weren’t able to. I felt we reduced our turnovers in the second half, and we give them credit. I think some of it was them playing some good defense.”
Notes and Quotes:
For the second consecutive game, Brett Brown gave Nerlens Noel the starting center assignment, and brought Jahlil Okafor off the bench. As much as Brown was pleased with the joint production the big men provided the Sixers in the team’s 110-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, he sounded equally as encouraged by the some of the intagibles the duo displayed while subbing in for each other.
“To see Nerlens come off a court, and tell Jahlil, this is who you have, and give him a whack on the backside, and tell him to get going, and then have Jahlil come off the floor and do the same thing the other night, was just fantastic to watch the camaraderie,” said Brown. “We got 30 points and 19 rebounds out of that five spot.”
“We got a pretty good chemistry on and off the floor,” Okafor said about his relationship with Noel. “We’re really good friends, so it’s easy for us to talk to each other.”
Against the Lakers on Friday, Okafor first checked in with 4:43 remaining in the first quarter. Unlike Wednesday’s match-up with Sacramento, however, Okafor and Noel spent time sharing the floor together versus the Lakers, doing so in the second quarter.
“Everybody’s just playing as hard as they can, and we’re really hungry to get some wins, and we’re all working hard,” said Okafor, who, midway through the second period, pieced together a stretch of eight straight points for the Sixers. He tallied 12 points and four rebounds overall at Staples Center. The contest was his second since returning from a right knee injury.
“It felt ok,” said Okafor prior to Friday’s tip-off, referring to his right knee. “I’m still trying to work my way back into it to be 100 percent.”
Friday, Mike D’Antoni spent his fourth game in the seat to Brett Brown’s left on the Sixers’ bench. One week into his tenure as Brown’s Associate Head Coach, D’Antoni’s already returned to two of the buildings he used to call home. On December 26th, the Sixers were in Phoenix, where D’Antoni received his first full-time head coaching opportunity during the 2004-2005 campaign. That season, he earned NBA Coach of the Year honors.
The Sixers’ pairing with the Lakers brought D’Antoni back to Staples Center. He ran the Lakers for two seasons, from 2012 through 2014. In his final year, Kendall Marshall was on Los Angeles’ roster, and made a team-high 45 starts at point guard. Marshall had fond memories of his time playing under D’Antoni.
“I loved it,” said Marshall. “It was a great experience. Think it was huge, and me learning the game of basketball at a pro level, as well as he’s a great coach for confidence. He instills confidence in a lot of players to go out there, and play to their strengths. Personally, I loved my year playing for him and I think I learned a lot from him.”
With T.J. McConnell playing well in relief of Ish Smith, Kendall Marshall did not log an appearance on Friday evening.
At one point during Friday’s game, several fans in the Staples Center sell-out crowd of 18,997 yelled, “We want Kobe!” Their chants would go unanswered. Bryant was held out of the contest after experiencing increased discomfort in his right shoulder following the Lakers’ 112-104 victory in Boston on Wednesday.
“Leadership, that’s the biggest thing,” said Los Angeles head coach Byron Scott when asked what Bryant’s absence would cost his team. “His ability to make other guys better. We know his capability when the game is at its peak, making big shots and things like that. We’re going to miss all those things. It gives other guys an opportunity to step up, and try to take advantage of it. And we’re looking forward to that.”
Several younger Lakers did indeed rise to the occasion. Jordan Clarkson, in his second season, did most of his damage in the first half, generating 14 of his 19 points by intermission. Larry Nance Jr., the 27th overall selection of this past June’s NBA Draft, set a career-high with 14 rebounds. Julius Randle, who tore an ACL after playing just one game as a rookie last season, pitched in with 15 points and nine rebounds. He assumed a key role in the Lakers’ decisive 13-2 run in the fourth quarter.
Next Up:
The Sixers conclude their second and final six-game road trip of the season with a 10:30 meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers (13-5) on Saturday at Staples Center. The last time the Sixers played the NBA’s two Los Angeles franchises on consecutive nights was over 14 years ago, on December 25th and 26th of 2011. The Clippers return home in the midst of their longest winning streak of the campaign, going undefeated on a five-game road trip. Worth noting, however, is that the first contest of this stretch was a Christmas Day “away” game against the Lakers, who share Staples Center rent with the Clippers. Also worth noting is that in that December 25th contest, the Clippers’ five-time All-Star power forward Blake Griffin tore his left quadriceps. He didn’t accompany the club for the final four games of their recently-completed trek, and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks. Griffin had been averaging a team-best 23.2 points prior to getting hurt.
