The Lakers hosted the 76ers this Sunday night and played with an all-around competitive energy but couldn’t convert their power to a win down the stretch, falling to Philadelphia 113-112.
This loss marks their second heartbreaker in a row after dropping the game to Dallas on Thursday in double OT.
With big man (and sharpshooter) Joel Embiid leading Philly with 35 points and 11 rebounds, the Lakers still found a way to penetrate Philadelphia’s paint, outscoring them 70-52.
Philly also couldn’t match the Lakers’ pace, the fastbreak was a major point of contention —Los Angeles had 18 points to the 76ers’ five.
So, where were the Lakers’ shortcomings that kept the contest so close? Philly was sharper from three by 5.3% as well as from the line, knocking down 15/19 free throws to the Lakers’ 10/13.
The game came down to the final seconds. After a crucial stop and defensive rebound by Russell Westbrook, the Lakers were down by one. Westbrook pushed up the floor and encountered a matchup with Embiid. As he drove to the rim, Russ failed to hit the shot.
“Down 1, you got one of our best playmakers going to the rim, one of our best finishers at the rim. Russ has the ball with Embiid on him, I’ll take that play any day of the week, and twice on Sunday,” Head Coach Darvin Ham commented postgame. “It sucks to lose these close games like this, “I’m not discouraged; we just have to be better at finishing.”
This game went as so many this season have— devastating defeat right at the very end.
It was a historic night, nonetheless.
Tonight, LeBron became the second player ever, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to score 38,000 points. This was on his way to a team-high of 35 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. It was Bron’s 16th game this season with +30 points. The 38-year-old had a team best +19 for 35 minutes.
And now, Russ has the most triple-doubles off-the-bench in NBA history after his performance. Russ produced 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, and was largely responsible for setting the pace for the Lake Show’s crisp speed.
The guys are back tomorrow night to host the Houston Rockets.
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