LOS ANGELES -- Revenge never played a role in the outcome, Lou Williams said. A boost of faith, though, proved pivotal in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night in a matchup of the NBA's worst teams.
Williams scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, 12 of those coming in the fourth quarter, guiding the Lakers to a 93-84 victory over the 76ers at Staples Center.
"I think these past few games, we've played with a lot of confidence, played at a better pace and starting to feel like we understand how to make the game easy for ourselves instead of one guy taking the brunt of the load," said Williams, who managed six of 15 shooting from the floor and connected on 10 of 12 foul shots.
"We got a lot of stops. Playing defensively, we put together a pretty solid game. And like I said, we had a lot of guys step up and made big shots when it counted and when we needed them."
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The win allowed the Lakers to avenge the 76ers ending a record 28-game losing streak with a 103-91 decision over the Lakers in Philadelphia on Dec. 1.
"We really didn't think about that," said Williams, a former 76er. "At the end of the day, they're pros like us. We're a young team, they're a young team. Caught us slipping in Philly. That's part of the life."
Guard Jordan Clarkson added 19 points for the Lakers (7-27), who won their second straight game for the first time since February of last season. Lakers forward Julius Randle came off the bench to score 15 points and grab nine rebounds.
Center Nerlens Noel had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers (3-32). Forward Jahlil Okafor and point guard T.J. McConnell each scored 12 points for Philadelphia. However, the 76ers' starting backcourt of point guard Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan combined to make just five of 30 shots, including a one-for-10 effort from 3-point range.
"I thought they disrupted our backcourt, and we give them credit," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said.
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant sat out the contest with a sore shoulder. The Lakers won for the first time in the five games Bryant missed this season.
Neither club led by more than six points through three quarters before the Lakers seized control in the final one. Los Angeles held a 62-60 advantage to end the third before pushing the lead to double digits in the fourth. Two free throws by Williams less than two minutes into the fourth put the Lakers up 70-62 before Philadelphia rallied. The 76ers cut the deficit to 73-70 after a dunk by guard Nik Stauskas with 8:10 remaining in the contest.
However, the Lakers answered with a 15-2 surge, capped by a 3-pointer and a jumper by Williams with 4:32 remaining for an 88-72 cushion. The 76ers never recovered.
"They got hot," said Noel, who also had three blocks and three steals. "They got some open looks. If you're an NBA player, you can knock those down and get streaky."
The 76ers took a 41-40 lead at the break. Both clubs struggled offensively, with Philadelphia making only 35.7 percent of its shots compared to just 31.1 percent for Los Angeles. Overall, the Lakers outshot the 76ers 37.9 percent to 36.9.
"Well, I really liked the fact that we really didn't shoot the ball well at all, but defensively we hung in there, kept competing," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "At halftime, the one thing that I told them is that we have to continue to try to push the pace against that team and just don't allow them to outwork us. I thought our guys played pretty hard for 48 minutes."
The game marked the second meeting between the second and third picks of the 2015 draft, Lakers' backup point guard D'Angelo Russell and Okafor. Russell finished with six points and five assists in 26 minutes.
Rookie Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. had career-high 14 rebounds with eight points.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott doesn't know if the condition of F Kobe Bryant's sore right shoulder might be more serious. The 37-year-old Bryant had surgery on the shoulder to repair a torn rotator cuff last January, which forced him to miss the final 35 games. "I think we'll just take it game-by-game," Scott said. ... 76ers G/F Hollis Thompson sat out the contest with a right eye corneal abrasion. ... Former Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni, who the 76ers hired as an associate head coach earlier this month, faced his ex-club for the first time. ... The 76ers cap their six-game swing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at Staples Center, while the Lakers host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
