Print
Dec 3, 2008 11:01 pm US/Eastern
Bryant Scores 32 In Lakers' Win Over 76ers
Lakers 114, Sixers 102
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ―
-
-
Kobe Bryant (File)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Kobe Bryant tormented his hometown team again, scoring 32 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers rebound from a last-second loss with a 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before the game that the thrill of playing in his home city has worn off for Bryant. But the reigning MVP appeared to enjoy every big 3-pointer that pushed back the Sixers and gave Los Angeles a boost.
The Lakers improved to 15-2 one night after they lost in Indiana on a late tip.
Los Angeles never let the middling Sixers get too close in this one. Philadelphia was within six in the third quarter when Derek Fisher and Bryant nailed 3-pointers that ballooned the lead to double digits.
Andre Miller scored 26 points and Andre Iguodala had 19 for the Sixers, who played the entire fourth quarter and the last 4 minutes of the third without Elton Brand.
The Sixers said Brand had a strained right hamstring -- one reason he was limited to three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 25 ineffective minutes. Brand will be evaluated on Thursday.
The wildly inconsistent Sixers hoped to get their groove back after a 103-95 overtime win at Chicago on Tuesday. Again, they couldn't get Iguodala, Miller and Brand going offensively at the same time. They lost for the fourth time in five games and haven't won consecutive games since Nov. 21-23.
Team president Ed Stefanski said before the game he wasn't shocked the Sixers are having trouble adjusting to new roles that came with Brand's free-agent arrival.
Brand, though, was signed to deliver big games against teams like the Lakers. The Sixers can't afford a serious injury to Brand if they want to make a move in the East.
With Brand on the bench, guard Lou Williams tried to rally the Sixers in the fourth. He scored all 15 of his points in the quarter and made three 3s, including two straight that pulled Philadelphia to 101-91.
Hearing some faint chants of "MVP!" mixed in with the usual Philly boos, Bryant sank a pair of free throws at the 2-minute mark that gave the Lakers a 108-97 lead, then followed with a spinning, right-handed layup that put the game away. Just for fun, he drilled a 3 the next time down and appeared to stare at Philly's bench.
With less than a minute left, Iguodala decided to guard Bryant as though Game 7 of a playoff series was tied. Bryant was called for a push-off foul, and what was left of the crowd howled at the late-game theatrics.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
