Lou Williams leads the bench effort as Philadelphia 76ers blow away the New Jersey Nets to consolidate their playoff chances …….
Philadelphia 76ers collected a convincing 107-88 victory over the New Jersey Nets here at the Prudential Center. Louis Williams scored a team high 20 points to lead the reserves, who outscored their starters 62-45 in this game
and led their team to victory.
Kris Humphries scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds for the Nets. Philadelphia came into this game having lost their last four and in desperate need of a win to hold on to their playoff position.
The first quarter was a low scoring one with a combined 40 points scored. Both teams were a bit rusty when they got on the court and took some time to warm up, as they went a combined 3 of 16 from the field to open the game.
New Jersey took the early 12-4 lead after Kris Humphries made consecutive jump shots. The Sixers kept at New Jersey’s tail but only managed to tie the game at 18 with 52 seconds left in the quarter. The first quarter finished with
both teams tied at 20.
The Sixers scored the first field goal of the 2nd quarter and took an early lead. After the Nets narrowed their lead down to 40-39 with a dunk by Humphries, the Sixers went on a 7-0 run to lead 47-39 with 1:25 left in
the 1st half. Williams then hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to close the half for the Sixers, who extended their lead to 52-43 going into the 2nd half.
The third quarter belonged to the Sixers, who scored 32 points and reduced the Nets to 25, extending their lead to 84-68 by its end. The Nets never led, nor did they tie the game throughout the period. The Sixers bench came up
big, with both Spencer Hawes and Louis Williams scoring 8 points each.
A dunk followed by a free throw by Elton Brand gave the Sixers a 93-70 lead early in the 4th quarter, their biggest of the night. By that time, it had become apparent that the Nets would not be able to close in on Philadelphia.
The Sixers went on to win 107-88.
The Sixers bench was impressive in the game. Louis Williams had 20 points, 5 assists and 8 rebounds. Spencer Hawes had 19 points and 8 boards, while Thaddeus Young also chipped in with 19 points and 8 boards.
Andre Iguodala finished with 13 points and 7 assists on a good offensive night for the Sixers, shooting 45.9% from the field and 88.5% from the free throw line for their 107 points.
Kris Humphries led the New Jersey scoring with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Deron Williams had 14 points and 5 assists but was 5 of 12 from the field and 1 of 3 from beyond the arc.
The Nets were outscored by Philadelphia in rebounds and assists. The Sixers grabbed 53 rebounds compared with 36 for the Nets, and dished 22 assists compared to 17 for the Nets.
With this win, Philadelphia improve their win loss record to 30-27, one win clear of 8th place New York Knicks. Their final few games are crucial if they want to hold on to the 7th place in the Eastern Conference.
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