December 21st, 2007 
Stephen Rhodes 
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant made a visit to his hometown, Philadelphia, to take on the Philadelphia 76ers; Bryant did get one thing out of the visit – he got a win under his belt.? But Bryant wasn’t the main reason; actually, it was forward Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum who provided the clutch shots when needed the most; they led the Lakers to a tight, 106-101 win over the 76ers Friday night.? Not even the pre-game ceremony honoring Julius Erving – Dr. J to those who weren’t following the Sixers back in the 80′s – and Philadelphia’s 1983 championship team being honored couldn’t lift the 76ers tonight.
The Sixers managed to keep up with the Lakers, with the highlight being an Andre Miller steal; he passed the ball to Andre Iguodala who in turn got an assist by passing the ball to a streaking Willie Green who slammed the ball home.? Philadelphia would take into the third quarter a 56-53 lead.? ?Los Angeles’ Derek Fisher scored 8 straight points during a 10-0 run late in the third quarter that put the Lakers ahead and helped them take an 84-81 lead into the final quarter.
Philadelphia pulled into within 5 late in the game, but Bryant sank 3 free throws – the result of being fouled on a 3-point attempt – that put the Lakers up for good 99-91.? Los Angeles was led by?Bynum with a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds;?Odom and Fisher added 21 each, with Odom also grabbing 11 boards.? Bryant added 19 in a winning effort.? Philadelphia’s leading scorer was Miller with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists; Iguodala?pitched in with 20 along with 4 rebounds and 9 assists, while Green chipped in with 16.? Los Angeles (16-10) travels a very short distance to New York City to take on the Knicks Sunday afternoon, while Philadelphia (10-16) flies to Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday.
