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Sixers open road trip aiming for fourth straight win

Mar 17, 2009 - 8:38 AM By Matt Beardmore Stats Writer

Philadelphia (33-31) at LA Lakers (53-13), 10:30 p.m. EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Kobe Bryant's teammates raise their game the way they did in Los Angeles' last contest, the Lakers become all the more difficult to beat.

Los Angeles goes for its fourth straight win overall and fourth in a row over the Philadelphia 76ers, who open a five-game road trip Tuesday night looking to inch closer to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers won their seventh in a row at home Sunday, 107-100 over Dallas. Bryant, third in the NBA at 28.0 points per game, matched his average and hit two 3-pointers during a 12-0 fourth-quarter spurt to answer a 21-2 Dallas run.

The Lakers, however, received a major contribution from Trevor Ariza, who scored a career-high 26 points and shot 9-of-13 from the floor. Making his third consecutive start and fourth of the season, Ariza scored six straight points during the Lakers' late-game surge.

"It doesn't surprise me at all," Bryant said. "He just knocked down the shots that we see him knock down in practice all the time.

"He works extremely hard on his game, he's extremely patient and very efficient. One of Trevor's best features is his length and his speed, which allows us to put him on guards that are smaller than him. That way he can block the court a little more."

The 6-foot-8 Ariza could find himself matched up with Philadelphia's Andre Miller. The 76ers point guard recorded his second straight double-double Sunday with 10 points and 11 assists in an 85-77 win over Miami - Philadelphia's third in a row.

Miller, who had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 114-102 loss to Los Angeles on Dec. 3, is 0-12 against the Lakers at Staples Center. Los Angeles won the teams' most recent meeting there 124-93 on January 4, 2008.

Bryant had 15 points in just 29 minutes of that contest as the Lakers shot 66.2 percent from the field. He scored 32 points in the December 3 win.

Pau Gasol looks for his fourth straight 20-plus point game Tuesday after scoring 25 on 12-of-13 shooting against Dallas. Gasol has four consecutive double-doubles versus the 76ers, averaging 24.0 points and 12.8 rebounds in that span.

Philadelphia begins its western swing after defeating Miami 85-77 on Sunday, pulling within two games of the fifth-place Heat in the East.

"That was an important game for us," said 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo, whose team will play its next five games in seven days. "We hung in there and kept playing hard and thought at some point, maybe from their fatigue, they would wear down a bit."

Philadelphia allowed its lowest point total of the season, but will now face a Los Angeles team that's among the league leaders with 108.2 points per game.

Louis Williams is averaging just 8.0 points during the 76ers' three-game winning streak, but he'll look for another solid performance off the bench against the Lakers. Williams hit three 3s and scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter in the teams' first meeting this season.

He's averaging 12.0 points in 2008-09.

Los Angeles has won three straight and eight of nine at home against Philadelphia.