Sixers beaten by Lou Williams and Lakers

LOS ANGELES - Heading into Friday's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, things were looking up for the 76ers.

They had won two of their last three games and were about to face a Lakers squad they had already defeated Dec. 1.

However, the Lakers broke the game open with a 15-2 fourth-quarter run that propelled them to a 93-84 victory at the Staples Center. The run ended with the Lakers up, 88-72, after a Lou Williams turnaround jumper with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left.

"There was a group that we had one the floor that got us back in it that probably I went an extra minute longer that should of, that I wished I did," Sixers coach Brett Brown said of T.J. McConnell, Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, Isaiah Canaan and Jerami Grant. "I think with Nerlens [Noel] and Ish [Smith], trying to get those guys back in the game sooner."

The loss denied the Sixers (3-32) two feats.

They failed to win back-to-back games for the first time since March. They also failed to sweep the Lakers (7-27) in a season series since the 2004-05 season.

Williams, a former Sixer, had a lot to do with the outcome, scoring a game-high 24 points.

Noel led the Sixers with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 3 steals. Okafor and McConnell added 12 points apiece.

The Sixers made just 4 of 24 three-point attempts. Philly's starting backcourt of Smith and Canaan struggled to make shots from anywhere on the court.

Smith

The Lakers were without future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. The former Lower Merion High School standout missed the game with a sore right shoulder.

The 37-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, had season-ending surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in the same shoulder last January. Los Angeles coach Bryon Scott did not appear to be concerned about Bryant's soreness.

Bryant had stiffness in his shoulder after a victory Wednesday in Boston. He also reported soreness in his shoulder after a setback to the Houston Rockets on Dec. 17.

In his 20th season, Bryant is averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Even without Bryant on the floor, the Lakers still kept their small-ball lineup they switched to a couple of weeks ago.

Rookie Anthony Brown started at small forward in place of Bryant. He was joined in the starting lineup by Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., and Roy Hibbert.

To match up with Nance at power forward, the Sixers went with the same lineup they had Wednesday in a victory at Sacramento. Nerlens Noel started at center for the fourth consecutive game. In the first two, Jahlil Okafor was sidelined with right knee soreness. Jerami Grant got the nod at power forward. JaKarr Sampson, Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith joined them in the lineup.

Okafor came off the bench for the second consecutive game. He usually starts at center and Noel at power forward.

"He's a wonderful teammate, understands why [he's coming off the bench]," Brown said of Okafor.

He sure didn't play as if coming off the bench bothered him.

The 6-foot-11, 265-pounder went scoreless in 4 minutes, 43 seconds of action in the first quarter. He found his groove in the second quarter, scoring eight points on 4-for-6 shooting. Noel also had a solid first half, producing nine points and nine rebounds.

But T.J. McConnell was an unlikely first-half standout for the Sixers, scoring 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting. The Sixers held a 41-40 halftime lead with those three leading the way.

Sampson didn't play in the fourt quarter due to getting hit in the right shoulder.

"We are learning more about it now," Brown said. "But it is a legitimate injury right now. We are not sure if he will play tomorrow [vs Los Angeles Clippers].

"I doubt that Hollis [Thompson] will. We'll learn nore about of all that tomorrow."

Thomposon suffered a corneal abrasion in his right eye in the first half of Wednesday's victory at the Sacramento Kings.

kpompey@phillynews.com

@PompeyOnSixers

www.philly.com/Sixersblog