By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
Philadelphia 103, Los Angeles 91 – Box Score
Riding an already historic 28-game losing streak and tied with the worst start to a NBA season ever at 0-18, the Philadelphia 76ers and their fan base were badly in need of a victory entering Tuesday night. Fortunately, the Los Angeles Lakers were coming to town, a team in such dire straits themselves that the Sixers actually closed as slight favorites heading into the contest.
Before the game, the Sixers organization held a lavish ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant, who announced days ago that he will be retiring at the end of the season. Bryant, who played high school ball in the area at Lower Merion, was treated as a native son of Philadelphia, despite growing up in Italy, being a Lakers fan as a kid, and when facing the 76ers in the 2001 Finals, saying he wanted to “cut their hearts out”.
Kobe was clearly eating up the adulation from a sizable Lakers contingent in the crowd, and came out determined to turn back the clock at the start of the game. Bryant took shots on the first four possessions of the game, hitting three of them as fans shook their heads and wondered if they were really going to enter a time machine for the evening.
3 three's for Kobe. That ties his season high. We're 90 seconds into the game.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) December 2, 2015
Fortunately for the Sixers, that early success emboldened Kobe to keep jacking up shots almost every chance he had. Although he ended up leading the Lakers in scoring with 20 points, he finished 7-26 from the floor and 4-17 from three, with a -21 plus/minus on the night. Some of his shot selection was simply absurd.
Kobe is in YOLO mode. pic.twitter.com/qgvlkXrbZ8
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) December 2, 2015
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In reality, it was actually Jordan Clarkson who kept the Lakers around. The promising young guard dropped 19 points on 9-19 shooting, scoring 12 points in the third quarter as Sixers fans continued to wonder if the losing streak would really go on for another day. However, in the midst of the Kobe hoopla, let’s not forget what really matters here.
THE SIXERS WON A GAME!
That victory was due to a 20-5 Sixers run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter, sparked by Jerami Grant. Grant did everything for Philadelphia, finishing with 14 points on 6-7 shooting, 4 blocks. 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. He really seemed to get going after shaking off a cheap forearm to the neck from Roy Hibbert in a scrum that resulted in those two and JaKarr Sampson all receiving technicals. Grant will also be able to tell people for the rest of his life about how he destroyed a shot by the one of the greatest scorers of all-time.
Remember when Kobe was good? Jerami Grant doesnt https://t.co/azSWiJUj7k
— USL Pony (@USL_Pony) December 2, 2015
Helping out Grant was Robert Covington, who continued his rejuvenated play of late with a game-high 23 points on 5-11 from three. Nerlens Noel also played well in his return to the lineup, recording 14 points on 5-7 shooting and 9 rebounds.
It was terrific to see the team finally pull through in their 6th straight game of having a 4th quarter lead. As much as we say the Sixers are still looking for losses this season, the players absolutely need to have these moments of positive reinforcement for all the hard work they’ve been putting in over the course of the year. Philadelphia will be back in action tonight in New York to face Kristaps and the Knicks. Dare I say, winning streak?
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