Lakers beat Philadelphia for their first back-to-back wins this season
Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, right, drives down the lane and draws a foul against 76ers forward Jerami Grant in the first half Friday night.
The Lakers have their first winning streak of the season after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 93-84, on Friday night at Staples Center.
Neither team led by more than six points through three low-scoring quarters, but the Lakers took over in the fourth, pulling ahead by as many as 16 points when Lou Williams made a turnaround jumper with 4:32 left.
The Lakers held on to split the season series against the Sixers, the only team behind the Lakers in the standings.
After beating Boston on Wednesday, the Lakers’ improved their record to 7-27 with Friday’s win over Philadelphia, a four-game advantage over the Sixers (3-32), which doesn’t bode well for lottery standings at the end of the season. If the Lakers do not have a top-three pick in the 2016 NBA draft, they’ll send their first-rounder to Philadelphia to complete the Steve Nash trade.
Williams finished with a game-high 24 points, while dishing five assists. Jordan Clarkson scored 19, while Julius Randle contributed 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Kobe Bryant (shoulder) sat out, making way for rookie Anthony Brown to start at small forward. Brown scored five points in 22 minutes.
Fellow rookie Larry Nance Jr. set a career high with 14 rebounds while adding eight points in 24 1/2 minutes.
The 76ers were led by Nerlens Noel with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rookies Jahlil Okafor and T.J. McConnell both scored 12, and Robert Covington added 10.
McConnell picked up Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell with full-court pressure. Russell made only three of 14 shots for six points, but dished five assists, including a nifty no-look, overhead backward touch-pass to Randle for a dunk.
Neither team shot well from the field. The Lakers made 37.9% of their shots from the field, 31.2% from three-point range (5 of 16) and 75.9% (22 of 29) from the free-throw line. The Sixers shot 36.9%, 16.7% (4 of 24) and 72% (18 of 25), respectively.
The Lakers play next on Sunday when they host the Phoenix Suns (12-23). The 76ers face the Clippers (21-13) on Saturday.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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