Preview: Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The Lakers' five-game trip is coming to a close against the playoff-contender Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in what could be a historic night for the NBA.
LeBron James, who averages 25.2 points a game, is only 18 points away from passing Kobe Bryant on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Bryant is third on the all-time scoring list with 33,643 points, while James currently has 33,626 points.
Making things even more interesting is that James is on pace to accomplish that feat in Philadelphia, where Bryant was born.
The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference at 36-9 and the best road record in the league at 20-4. The 76ers (28-17) are sixth in the Eastern Conference and have one of the best home records in the league (20-2).
Game Time: Saturday, January 25, 5:30 p.m. PT
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa
TV: ABC; Radio: 710, 1330
It will be the fourth time on this five-game trip that the Lakers will play a playoff contender for the first time.
The Lakers have won three of their four games this trip, beating Houston (124-115), New York (100-92) and Brooklyn (128-113), while losing to Boston (139-107).
The 76ers will be without All-Star center Joel Embiid (finger), who averages a team-leading 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. Josh Richardson (hamstring) is also out.
The 76ers had their four-game winning streak snapped by a 107-95 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.
After Saturday's game, the Lakers will host the Clippers on Tuesday, returning to Staples Center for the first time since losing to Orlando on Jan. 15.
