76ers’ Blowout Win vs. Lakers Issues LeBron James His Worst Loss
LeBron James made history in Philadelphia on Monday night as he officially played the most minutes in NBA history. It was yet another impressive milestone by the 38-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar, who continues to build on a legendary resume.
Unfortunately, that was the only positive to LeBron and the Lakers’ night, as the Philadelphia 76ers delivered their biggest blowout win of the season by far, which happened to be the most lopsided regular season loss of LeBron’s career.
The Sixers nearly hung 140 points on the Lakers and prevented them from breaking the 100 mark. In a game that looked competitive for just a few minutes, as the Lakers got some early points at the line, getting Sixers center Joel Embiid in a bit of foul trouble, an 18-2 run crafted by the 76ers put the Lakers in blowout territory early.
After getting outscored 32-19 in the first quarter, the Lakers showed some life offensively. LeBron was perfect from the field before the half, knocking down all five of his shots from the field for ten points. Although the Lakers hit nearly 80 percent of their field goals in the second quarter, the combination of an already-comfortable lead and a three-point masterclass from Philadelphia kept the Lakers out of striking range before halftime.
The Lakers were down, but it’s difficult to rule them out as early as the third quarter. But Monday wasn’t a night that LeBron and his crew would find a way to storm back into the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Getting outscored once again in the third quarter, the Lakers trailed by nearly 20 points heading into the fourth.
All of the key players involved got an early night off. On Philly’s side, the Sixers rested three of their five starters for all of the fourth quarter. Tyrese Maxey and Nic Batum appeared on the court for half of the quarter before getting called to the bench.
As for the Lakers, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell took the entire fourth quarter off, while Max Christie, Taurean Prince, and LeBron appeared on the floor for three final minutes. It was garbage time, and the Sixers took care of business with more dominance, outscoring the Lakers 40-14 in the final 12 minutes.
The Sixers put the Lakers away with a 44-point win. They break a multi-year streak, surpassing the Indiana Pacers’ 42-point win over the Lakers in February of 2019. It came during a game where the Sixers held the Lakers star below his usual standards.
Heading into Monday’s game, LeBron was averaging 26 points on 56 percent shooting from the field. In 16 games, he averaged 17 shots per outing, along with six free throw attempts. On Monday, James attempted just 12 shots. While he averaged an efficient 67 percent from the field, he produced just 18 points. James finished the blowout loss as a minus-30.
With that victory, the Sixers sent the Lakers packing with their eighth loss. Meanwhile, Philadelphia advances to 12-5 on the year. They are set to visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
