Lou Williams owns the 4th quarter to spoil Kobe Bryant’s record night; Philadelphia 76ers stun Los Angeles Lakers: NBA
On the night when Kobe Bryant surpassed Shaquille O’ Neal for fifth place on the league's all-time scoring list, Lou Williams played a spoil sport with 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, as the Philadelphia 76ers pulled
off a come from behind win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant needing just 23 points to eclipse Shaq’s tally of 28,569 points, scored 24 in the first half but went cold in the second to finish off with 28. Centre Andrew Bynum, however had a stellar night and with 20 points, 20 rebounds
and three blocks, and he kept the Lakers on top until Williams took over with just 4:15 left on the clock.
With the Lakers leading comfortably at 86-79, Jrue Holiday drilled a pull-up jumper to start a 16-4 run, which saw Williams knock down 12 points including the go-ahead triple with 2:06 remaining. The Lakers never managed to come
to terms with the onslaught and became the latest victim of a resurgent Philadelphia side that has now moved to the third spot in the top heavy Eastern Conference.
"From the start of my basketball career, and for as long as I could remember, I've always played well in the fourth quarter," Williams said. "I know that's the most important time of a basketball game."
With Kobe looking like a man possessed, the Lakers were hot early and started on a 9-2 run. The Sixers bounced back with short scoring bursts but Kobe kept the Lakers in the game and ended the 24-21 first quarter with 14 points.
The Phillies started the second quarter on a 10-4 run to regain a three point lead, but Bryant knocked down two consecutive three’s and a Williams free throw later, slipped in two free throws to give the Lakers a 36-32 lead.
Less than a minute later, the Lakers rattled another 9-3 foray to extend their lead to 45-38 and despite some accurate long range shooting from the Sixers, they took a 50-46 lead into the locker room.
Philadelphia pulled off a 13-4 run midway through the third period to reverse the four point lead, 63-59, and held onto a 70-69 advantage going into the final quarter.
The Lakers raced away to a 10-4 start to the quarter to carve out a 79-74 lead and pushed it to 86-79 on a Bynum alley oop dunk shot. The Lakers however missed 9 of their next 10 field goal attempts, allowing the Sixers to peter
out a sensational win.
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