The Sixers dominated the weekend in a row, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 113-112 on Sunday. LeBron his James and Joel Embiid both scored his 35th on the night, but the Sixers were able to turn over Russell his Westbrook to keep the win.
With everyone healthy and fit for the 76ers, with DeAnthony Melton starting in place of Tyrese Maxxie, there was some tinkering with the starting lineup. The win moves the Sixers to 2-0 on their current road trip and 27-16 this season.
Here are my thoughts on the buzzer:
first quarter
- Just like last night, Philly got off to an aggressively hot start. Whether it was Joel Embiid and James Harden or Shake Milton and Montrez Harrell, their pick-and-roll action made it look easy throughout the quarter. Embiid had his x for 14 in the opening frame as these scoring bursts are starting to feel the old hat.
- The Lakers offense similarly got what it wanted in the first quarter. LeBron his James has scored or assisted in his 18 of his 20 points in LA’s first. The Sixers were able to maintain a 1-point lead after the first game despite the Lakers starting the game shooting 64% from the field.
Second quarter
- Doc Rivers messed around with tonight’s rotation a lot more than he did last month. Now, Tobias Harris, who has dealt with knee problems late in the back-to-back games, is likely a big factor, but it’s still worth considering. ran for a minute.
- When PJ Tucker replaced Tyrese Maxey, the offense began to jam as he turned the ball over on his next two possessions. The Lakers finished halftime with him trailing 11-3 with a one-point lead at the break.
- The frustration of the final three minutes of the half ended with a needless foul on Russell Westbrook just three seconds before the end of the quarter.
third quarter
- It was interesting to see the Sixers defending Russell Westbrook so aggressively at the 3-point line. Westbrook caught Maxie’s hand in the cookie jar for his play of four points. In classic Westbrook fashion, he finished with his 20-14-14 triple-double.
- After an eight-point spurt from Tobias Harris, the Sixers’ offense stalled most of the third. Joel Embiid’s posterization of Wenen Gabriel Jr. made it look like the Sixers could come back from behind him by three.
4th quarter
- The Lakers beat Philly on points in the paint category, and it’s not hard to see why. James and Westbrook completely burned out the frontcourt of Niang and Harrell’s second unit. LA won category 70-52 that night.
- For the second game in a row, James Harden had a great finish all the way to the end. He scored or assisted on 17 of Philly’s final 24 points of the game. They sealed the game just like last night, ending with Embiid’s jumper.
- The Sixers will remain in Los Angeles, but this time they will face only the Clippers this Tuesday at 10:00 PM EST.
