6ers player notes:
Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 10-26 FG shooting
Maxey’s shooting was once again poor to start this game off but he eventually settled into a more normal shooting split as the game went on, though he was still in a three-point shooting slump. He was strong in the fourth quarter, coming alive to score at the hoop with creativity, but it was too little, too late.
Tobias Harris: 16 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-18 FG shooting
After a three-game absence due to an ankle sprain, Harris did his best to get immediately readjusted to the game. He got a lot of shots up but was inefficient, settling for tough shots and displaying poor effort on both ends. Midway through the second quarter, he started to pick it up, rebound the ball well and make some nice plays here and there throughout the rest of the game. This was still mostly a rough Harris game but was sprinkled with some very nice moments.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 6-18 FG shooting
Oubre has been in a sensational, well-rounded groove as of late. His jump shooting and decision-making can still be hectic but his athletic energy has been huge for the 76ers for a while. The way he goes to the rim with no fear once again kept Philly going amid a poor shooting night. When he’s able to make good passes, as he did tonight, he can be a major asset to a team that has to steal wins.
Lakers player notes:
LeBron James: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 7-15 FG shooting
James could have gotten to the rim just about whenever he wanted but started off the game shooting inefficiently and turning the ball over, coughing it up four times in the first half. He was a bit better in the second half but was more susceptible to mistakes than normal.
Anthony Davis: 23 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 10-16 FG shooting
Davis was a monster on the boards and in the paint. His ability to score at the hoop and stifle the Sixers in the paint was key for the Lakers. They were extremely prone to turnovers but AD’s offensive rebounding made the possession battle more manageable.
Game recap:
The 76ers got off to a rough start on their last West Coast trip of the season, dropping a clunker in the desert. Trying to stay above a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers could hardly afford to drop this game against the Lakers, one of the worst teams they’ll play in their stretch of facing playoff contenders. Facing the dynamic duo of LBJ and AD isn’t always easy but Philly still has an urgent need for Ws.
Harris returned for the Sixers, replacing Nico Batum in the starting lineup. Taurean Prince was one of several role players out for Los Angeles.
1st half
Harris started out on James while Austin Reaves started on the Maxey assignment. The Sixers used several screeners to get him free, using Lowry for a guard-guard pick-and-roll and later with Harris as ghost screener, which opened the lane for Maxey to score on an and-one. Oubre’s off-ball defensive activity remained strong, knocking away passes and making the right rotations. He also fed Paul Reed for a dunk off of a drive.
LA initially used its superior size to score at the rim while Philly opted for more jumpers. Harris looked to get back into a rhythm and took to his typical, methodical scoring tricks in the post and mid-range, who got two of his first five shots to drop. Neither offense was able to build on their decent starts after both LeBron and Kyle Lowry subbed out, removing a substantial amount of playmaking and veteran savvy from the floor.
Paul Reed squared off with Davis, who he famously called a flopper out of nowhere earlier in the season, hitting a one-legged fadeaway over him as the shot clock expired. Davis got him back by swatting one of his layup attempts. Harris continued to misfire, leading all players with eight shots in the opening period while hitting just two. Philly trailed by one, 24-23.
The 76ers started the second quarter with KJ Martin at the five, a poor choice with the L-Train (a legitimate nickname for LeBron, per Basketball Reference) in the game along with a great vertical spacer in Jaxson Hayes. James easily got into the paint and connected with Hayes for a lob and then cut right behind Harris for a dunk down the lane. It may have been Harris’ first game back after a multi-game absence but he was BRUTAL to start the night. He was subbed out after that play but returned quickly and started to play better.
Philly scrapped its small-ball look as the Lakers started to get going, sending former Laker Mo Bamba back into the game. Cam Payne was subbed in at the start of the quarter but somehow didn’t get a ton of on-ball reps despite being the lineup’s best ball-handler and shot-creator. Harris made some great plays against Reaves, including a successful fight for a rebound and a strip of the ball, and then scored five quick points to tie the game back up.
Oubre airmailed a wide-open three but then managed to draw a foul on James. In a game where the flow of offense often felt like a crawl, Philly managed to stay ahead amid some awful shooting from James, though the King still did throw down a big dunk before l.the half. Oubre threw down a double-clutch, two-handed slam to put a punctuation mark on a peculiar half of basketbal
