The Philadelphia 76ers took the lead for the last time on a Lou Williams 3-pointer with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter. The previous 46 minutes featured 16 lead changes in what was a nailbiter of a match throughout. Philadelphia took remarkable care of the ball, committing just four total turnovers for the 95-90 win.
The Los Angeles Lakers lack of an effective trigger man has hounded the team throughout the season. That deficiency was especially clear on Monday night, with Jrue Holiday putting up 13 points and six assists (and a game-leading plus-11 rating) to zero turnovers. The Lakers, meanwhile, committed 16 team turnovers, including five each for Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.
The Sixers held LA to just 42 percent shooting from the field, including 29.2 percent on 24 3-point attempts. Philadelphia shot better from beyond the arc than they did overall. Williams and Jodie Meeks went 3-for-6 and 3-for-5, respectively, from long range to pace the team. Williams' 24 points were behind only Bryant's 28 for the game, but he needed 13 less field goal attempts to get there.
Philadelphia improved to 18-7 with the win, putting them four games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division. They came in fifth in Tom Ziller's latest NBA Power Rankings for SB Nation.
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