Observations after Sixers lose back-and-forth battle to Lakers, James takes over late originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers came out on the wrong end of a back-and-forth tussle with the Lakers on Sunday night.
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They fell to a 112-108 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping to 13-10 on the season. Los Angeles improved to 17-6.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Luka Doncic posted a triple-double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. LeBron James tallied 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists.
The Sixers remained without Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain). Marcus Smart (left lumbar muscle strain) was the one player sidelined for the Lakers.
The Sixers won’t play again until they host the Pacers on Friday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Lakers:
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Plenty of juice in the building
The Eastern and Western Conference’s top scorers needed very little time to get rolling.
Doncic drained a mid-range jumper for the game’s first basket and Maxey replied with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer. Maxey made his first four field goals and scored 10 first-quarter points.
He was quite comfortable with a quick pace in the early going. As a team, the Sixers had the sharper start. Paul George scored a transition layup, Maxey hit a pull-up three and the Sixers went up 19-9 on a pair of Dominick Barlow free throws.
Everyone on the floor seemed to begin the night with more intensity than they’d have for an average regular-season game. That included Maxey, who had a brief courtside chat with Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, the ceremonial pregame bell ringer. Maxey was assessed a technical foul late in the first quarter for his animated disagreement with an official’s no-call.
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The Sixers had a cold patch to close the first quarter and the Lakers made a run that featured James hammering in a powerful dunk. His slam caused a big pop of noise from the many Lakers fans on hand. Rui Hachimura’s corner three on the Lakers’ last play of the first tied the game at 30-all.
Nightmare Embiid shooting
Embiid was 2 for 15 from the floor through three quarters. That was initially 1 for 14, but he was retroactively credited for a tip-in late in the second quarter. His final numbers were 4 for 21.
For the most part, he took reasonable shots early in the game and got tough bounces on mid-range looks he often makes. Embiid did force up a couple of awkward leaners when he appeared to expect a foul call. He also settled for some jumpers early in the shot clock instead of putting greater pressure on the Lakers’ defense. Whatever he tried, his shooting touch was absent.
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As the misses piled up, Embiid was exasperated. He stared at the ceiling and raised his arms in dismay after failing to hit a shot from just inside the foul line on the Sixers’ final possession of the second quarter.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves had similar struggles. Reaves, who entered the game averaging 29.2 points and shooting 52.5 percent from the field, opened 0 for 8. Maxey and the Sixers guarded him well.
Though Doncic didn’t have a great jump shooting start, he frustrated the Sixers with his typical foul drawing trickery. The five-time All-Star finished the evening 11 for 14 at the foul line.
James still clutch
The Sixers’ bench decisively outplayed the Lakers’ in the first half. At halftime, the Sixers’ second unit had an 18-2 scoring advantage.
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Jabari Walker picked up where he left off Friday in the Sixers’ win over the Bucks, swishing a three on his first touch. Jared McCain made two long-range jumpers and a driving layup early in the second quarter.
To begin the second half, the Lakers’ starters were much stronger than the Sixers’. James drilled three jumpers early in the third quarter. Deandre Ayton’s alley-oop dunk gave L.A. a 68-67 lead.
The Sixers fell behind as many as 10 points late in the third quarter, but they eventually pushed back. VJ Edgecombe and Maxey sunk threes and the Sixers cut their deficit to 87-84 entering the fourth quarter.
The Lakers maintained a slim lead through much of the fourth and benefited from several Sixers defensive breakdowns. The Sixers defended gamely against the Lakers’ stars, but they had issues both communicating and fighting through screens.
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James nailed two important jumpers to put the Lakers up 105-100. Embiid subbed in for his final stint with 3:23 to play.
The Sixers blitzed Doncic down the stretch and had success with that strategy. After he tossed a pass out of bounds, Embiid hit a mid-range jumper to even the game at 105 apiece.
James had more heroics left in the tank.
The 40-year-old superstar continued his late-game takeover by canning a contested three and a fadeaway mid-range bucket.
None of the jumpers the Sixers flung up in the last minute dropped until a desperate Maxey three with seven seconds left that cut the Lakers’ lead to 110-108. However, Doncic iced the game with a pair of free throws.
