Danny Green scored 28 points (24 on 8 3-pointers), and the Philadelphia 76ers opened the third quarter with a 21-8 run to beat the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 109-101 for their fourth straight win.
It was tied at 54 when Green’s corner 3-pointer put the 76ers ahead for good with 10:59 left in the third quarter. He made 3 3-pointers and Seth Curry added 8 as they pulled away to a 75-62 lead with 5:30 left in the quarter, and they led by as many as 18.
The Lakers got within 104-101 on Kyle Kuzma’s free throw with 51 seconds to play, but Green answered with a corner 3-pointer, and the Lakers got no closer.
During clutch time, the 76ers outscored the Lakers 6-1.
For the Lakers, Kuzma had 25 points and 9 rebounds, and Montrezl Harrell added 20 points (14 in the fourth quarter) and 8 rebounds off the bench. Dennis Schröder had 20 points, a season-high 11 assists and 3 steals. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points on 6 for 10 shooting. Harrell scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers had 3 20-point scorers.
The 76ers shot 48.8% from the field and 37.8% from 3 to the Lakers’ 43.6% and 34.6%. The Lakers turned it over 22 times, about 6 more than usual for this many possessions. The Lakers outscored the 76ers 35-24 in 12 minutes with Matthews, Schröder, Caldwell-Pope, Harrell and Kuzma on the floor together.