Philadelphia 76ers 109-101 LA Lakers: 5 Hits and Flops as Danny Green sinks former team
The Philadelphia 76ers handed the depleted LA Lakers their fourth consecutive loss on Thursday night. Doc Rivers' men had to sweat a bit in the dying moments of a game which they largely controlled to eventually win 109-101.
The Philadelphia 76ers were without Joel Embiid while the LA Lakers continued to miss their star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It was a special occasion for Dwight Howard and Danny Green who were awarded championship rings on their return to Staples Center.
The tie was evenly balanced in the first half but the Sixers rushed off to the paces after the break. Frank Vogel's men rallied back in the fourth quarter, but Ben Simmons and co. were eventually able to put the game away. Without further ado, let's look at the hits and flops from the Philadelphia 76ers' win against the LA Lakers.
#1 Hit: Danny Green (Philadelphia 76ers)
Danny Green reminded the LA Lakers of what they were missing by scoring 28 points on just 14 attempts from the field. Green was unstoppable from beyond the arc as he made eight buckets from downtown. He also led the Philadelphia 76ers' juggernaut early in the third quarter which allowed them to take an 18-point lead.
The LA Lakers did manage a comeback in the fourth quarter and the scoreboard read 104-101 in Philly's favor. With just half a minute left on the game clock, Green capped off a special night by scoring the dagger three to sink his former team.
#2 Flop: Talen Horton-Tucker (LA Lakers)
Talen Horton-Tucker is getting extended minutes in the absence of LeBron James but the sophomore wing isn't making the most of his opportunity. Horton-Tucker has struggled from the field over the last week and he wasn't any better against the Philadelphia 76ers, making just one of his six attempts.
Horton-Tucker is known for his two-way ability but he wasn't too disruptive on the defensive end tonight either. The LA Lakers reportedly chose to keep Horton-Tucker over trading him for Kyle Lowry and it's time for the youngster to prove that the front office made the right decision.
#3 Hit: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
Ben Simmons played the facilitator's role with aplomb as he set up several looks on the perimeter for his Philadelphia 76ers teammates against the LA Lakers. Simmons dictated the ball movement for his unit and finished with 12 assists. He struggled from the field, though, and managed just nine points on 14.3% shooting.
Simmons was very influential on the defensive end, like always. He sized up against the bigger players due to the Philadelphia 76ers' lack of size and disrupted the LA Lakers' momentum on several occasions. He had two steals and one block to show for his efforts.
#4 Flop: Dwight Howard (Philadelphia 76ers)
Dwight Howard had a good start to the game as he made each of his first three shots and recorded two blocks in just six minutes of playing time. But the hot-tempered center engaged in a war of words with Montrezl Harrell and got T'd up. At the end of the first quarter, he unnecessarily bumped into Harrell and was tossed out of the game following a second technical foul.
The Philadelphia 76ers lacked big men on their roster tonight. Joel Embiid was injured and Tony Bradley was traded to the OKC Thunder. Doc Rivers needed Howard to take up a bigger role against the LA Lakers but he let his team down.
#5 Hit: Montrezl Harrell (LA Lakers)
Montrezl Harrell had a tough start to the game. He was dominated by Dwight Howard and lost his composure. Last year's Sixth Man of the Year took some time to clear his head as went missing in the first three quarters of this tie.
Harrell turned up clutch in the final period of the matchup and fueled the LA Lakers' fightback. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as the likes of Mike Scott and Ben Simmons struggled to defend him. Harrell finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.