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The Los Angeles Lakers slipped back to .500 following a 143-120 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Playing in his second game with the Sixers following his trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, Tobias Harris scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Joel Embiid had a big game (37 points, 14 rebounds) in the win.
LeBron James finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in his fourth game back since recovering from a groin strain. Kyle Kuzma had a game-high 39 points.
Loss to 76ers a Cold Reality Check for Lakers After Emotional Win
In their first game after failing to land Anthony Davis by the trade deadline, the Lakers overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics on a buzzer-beater by Rajon Rondo.
The result looked like it could be a turning point for Los Angeles, with the young players, in particular, playing with a chip on their shoulders after the Los Angeles Times‘ Broderick Turner reported the team was willing to trade anything under the sun for Davis.
However, this is the same Lakers squad that struggled mightily in James’ absence and has clear issues when he is on the court.
In particular, Los Angeles is a mess when Luke Walton has to turn to his reserves. Tyson Chandler and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both finished with a minus-23 net rating, while Lance Stephenson was minus-24.
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
LeBron and the starters have been fine. The bench has been decimated. Are these last years Cavs in Lakers jerseys?
A better head coach might have found a way to mask the Lakers’ lack of depth somewhat, beyond playing their starters more. Walton, on the other hand, appears to have a blind spot when it comes to his optimal rotations.
Robin Lundberg @robinlundberg
LeBron is +6 in a game the Lakers trail by 16. Walton cost them a chance at the game with his rotations.
Laker Film Room @LakerFilmRoom
The Lakers have been outscored 18-4 in the 4:33 they’ve played today without LeBron, Ingram, or Kuzma on the floor.
Why they’ve played any minutes without any of those guys on the court is beyond me, especially when you have to integrate new guys.
Anthony F. Irwin @AnthonyIrwinLA
Luke has a very principled stance on rotations. He wants a 10-plus man lineup and he wants distinct looks for each group.
The thing is: The best coaches adjust to their roster. He never has. This, plus his ineptitude as an offensive coach, is enough to look elsewhere.
When it became clear the New Orleans Pelicans weren’t going to trade Davis to the Lakers, Los Angeles’ front office was smart not to panic and do something foolish just to give the impression of being active at the deadline.
The prudent approach isn’t without consequences, though. The Lakers effectively remain in a holding pattern until the offseason, when they can either make another run at Davis or shift their focus toward free agents.
Before then, fans will have to expect more of the same from a team that will have a hard time pushing for a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
What’s Next?
The Sixers welcome the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Celtics most recently threw away a 28-point lead in a 123-112 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. The Lakers hit the road Tuesday to play the Atlanta Hawks, which is their final game before the NBA All-Star break.
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