All Lakers Expert Predictions For First Game Vs 76ers, MVP Joel Embiid This Year
Your 10-7 Los Angeles Lakers are squaring off against the 2023 league MVP Joel Embiid and the rest of the 11-5 Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Arena tonight. The matchup is set for 4 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV and locally on Spectrum SportsNet.
We're here to answer a few of your burning questions ahead of the clash.
How will Darvin Ham have Los Angeles defend Tyrese Maxey?
Alex: The breakout star point guard of the young 2023-24 NBA season (well, along with Orlando Magic power forward Paolo Banchero and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun) seems poised to make his inaugural All-Star team this February if healthy. Maxey is a tough cover for any team, but LA has struggled to contain young athletic guards this season with Gabe Vincent injured. Fill-in starting shooting guard Max Christie had some promising moments while covering Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star combo guard Donovan Mitchell. He or LA's (currently questionable) starter at the position, Cam Reddish, would make the most sense to guard Maxey, who's currently averaging 26.4 points on .461/.402/.895 shooting splits, 6.8 dimes and 4.9 boards per bout.
Noel: Max Christie did an awesome job on Donovan Mitchell last game. He is a far different player compared to Tyrese Maxey so I do think the Lakers need to key in on him from the jump. He has averaged 23, 7 and 4 over his last 5 games so I hope to see Christie get the big assignment from the jump and he should get doubled when Embiid is not on the floor.
Who will have the better night, Anthony Davis or Joel Embiid?
Noel: Anthony Davis should have the better night as long as the whistle is in his favor. He also played great against the Cavs last game and his MVP production has been coming through as of late. Embiid will definitely get his as well but I have AD winning the matchup.
Alex: Embiid is a more versatile and explosive scorer, but Davis is the sharper defender. What does "better night" mean then, per se? I'm going with the more important two-way impact. On that front, I think the veteran Philadelphia center Embiid, currently the NBA's leading scorer at 32.1 points per (Kevin Durant is second with 31.4 points a night), will help propel his club to a win while scoring 30+ points, even against a fully dialed-in AD.
Philadelphia is a -5 favorite to win at home. Can Los Angeles pull off the upset?
Alex: Embiid and Maxey are a two-man wrecking crew. The Lakers may be a bit more banged-up, with three rotation players (point guard Gabe Vincent and power forwards Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura), but Philadelphia is without starting small forward Kelly Oubre Jr., still recovering from a broken rib he suffered when he was hit by a car. Oubre, on a veteran's minimum contract for some reason, is the club's fourth-leading scorer at 16.3 points on a game (with a .500/.402/.791 slash line to boot).
The Sixers have gone 3-2 in their past five games, with a major double-digit loss to the jumbo-sized Minnesota Timberwolves and a single possession (122-119) defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers as the only two failures in this recent window. Both those teams enjoyed the same advantage a fully healthy Los Angeles normally does: they're big. So big that both their power forwards could probably be shifted to a starting role on most other clubs (although Evan Mobley can be a bit scrawny at the five). I think it'll be fairly chippy, but that some referee home cooking will help Philadelphia hit that over.
Noel: It certainly will not be easy but I do believe the Purple and Gold will pull off the upset on the road!
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