PHILADELPHIA — De’Anthony Melton proved to be the most hardcore LA Clippers fan ever in a huge win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Philadelphia 76ers guard revealed his LAC fandom earlier in the day before playing a key part in an overtime win for the Sixers.
With 33 points, eight 3-pointers in 12 attempts and seven steals, Melton set career-highs across the board in a hectic win for the Sixers that snapped a three-game losing streak. Philadelphia took down Los Angeles by a score of 133-122 thanks in large part to Melton’s tremendous shooting and defense.
33 PTS & 7 STL
@DeAnthonyMelton WENT OFF for career-highs on both ends of the floor in the @sixers OT win! #BrotherlyLove pic.twitter.com/SvDl1r6lP2
— NBA (@NBA) December 10, 2022
“Honestly, on offense, my teammates [were] just finding me,” the Sixers guard said. “I mean, some of those passes, the way they got through, I don’t think they thought it was gonna get through but it was getting there. They kept finding me. [The Lakers] kept leaving me open, so I just kept shooting it, kept shooting with confidence…We got so many guys that draw attention that it opens up space for other players. So tonight was my night and my teammates kept finding me and I just kept finding the open spot.”
Melton brought his jersey into his postgame press conference and said he plans to give it to his mother, who instilled in him a love for the Clippers and hatred for the Lakers that runs through him to this day.
“He was unbelievable,” Doc Rivers said of Melton. “His shooting is elite, especially from the break which is rare. I think it was 53 deflections that we had, but I know he had half of them. Literally, he had half of our deflections in one basketball game.”
Melton said his steal total, which accounted for half of the Sixers’ total, was the favorite part of his performance. His eight triples accounted for 18 of Philadelphia’s triples. There was already plenty of urgency for Philadelphia to pick up a win following three straight losses but that extra source of motivation resulted in a rare, historic performance.
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