FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs 76ers - Game 43

FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs 76ers – Game 43

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (19-24) | Philadelphia 76ers (27-16)

 

The Lake Show is now on a three-game losing streak after some late-game misfortune led them to another loss, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers 113-112

 

The Lakers announced that Patrick Beverley (non-COVID illness) was listed as out vs. Philadelphia. It’s funny how early-season perceptions linger. Beverley’s December and January were his best months by far, where he shot 41% and 39% from deep respectively. October and November were rough and the resulting negativity is valid, however, perceptions need to change just like how his production has.

Darvin Ham also discussed with reporters the potential of signing either DeMarcus Cousins or Meyers Leonard after their free-agent workouts for the Lake Show and either would be a nice addition. Although, Cousins would more than likely be the better option, with the largest downside being his attitude and injury history. Despite that, James has shown to elevate the play of guys like Cousins, such as JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard.

The Lakers went with a larger starting lineup against the 76ers with Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, LeBron James, and Thomas Bryant.

This game started with a majestic feel to it, as with his sixth field goal of the night, King James became just the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points. He was then just 386 points from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

A last-second bucket from Wenyen Gabriel sent the Lakers into the second quarter with a 33-32 deficit. James led LA with 16 points, and Russell Westbrook had six points and four assists. The Lakers scored 26 of their 32 points in the paint. LA was 0-4 on threes.

A great find from Kendrick Nunn to Wenyen Gabriel for a dunk to start the second. Russ went vintage mode but not in the way we want, as he threw an errant pass to someone in the stands. The 76ers’ defense began to falter, as Brown was left all alone underneath the hoop, and James is going to find the open man every time.

James gave the Lakers the lead after knocking two down at the line, then Brown added onto that with a steal and slam, resulting in the largest lead of the night for the Lake Show at 40-36 with 9:14 left in the first half. Brown continued to bring the energy as he cashed in on an and-1 opportunity on Joel Embiid. 

Schroder tried to stay aggressive but fell to the floor, it seemed he was expecting a foul to be called, as he just lost the ball when he could’ve held onto it. Drawing fouls can be an art, but it shouldn’t dictate your game, just play ball and the fouls will eventually come, it cost a turnover as a result.

Misfortune for the Lake Show, as Schroder missed a three badly, but Bryant was able to secure the offensive rebound putback, however, Bryant came down on Embiid’s foot, spraining his ankle. Bryant stayed in, but no doubt it’ll affect his status for their next game against Houston. They were caught trailing for the most part because of their porous outside shooting, though Westbrook was able to make the first three of the game for them. 

A huge momentum booster for the Lake Show, as Westbrook threw up a lob to James, who soared through the air for it, and slammed it down with two hands. They repeated the process, this time with a no-look bounce from Russ, and a right-handed finish by the king. The Lake Show closed the first half on a 9-0 run.

 

At halftime, the score read Lakers 58, Sixers 57. James led LA with 22 points and six assists. Westbrook had 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The Lakers scored 42 of their 58 points in the paint and had 12 fast-break points. They’re just 1-8 on threes (12.5%).

 

The beginning of the second half was a different story, with the Lakers giving up a 6-0 run. Ham made the right call to end the bleeding early, as the third quarter has been the most troubling quarter for this squad.

Juan Toscano-Anderson burst through in transition for a slick right-handed finish, nice to see the man get his confidence back up. On the other hand, Schroder struggled, as he was left scoreless with 0-6 FGs, but was able to get his first point on a free throw.

Tobias Harris nearly had a free bucket underneath, but James was able to showcase his defensive ability, rejecting Harris’ attempt, and that also forced the shot clock violation. With 4:00 left in the third quarter, the Lake Show led 76-72 after Westbrook cashed in on a four-point play opportunity. Russ tried to do it again on a later possession, but miracles may only happen once.

The Sixers managed to tie the game up at 79-79 as Max Christie was late on a closeout, allowing Shake Milton to drain one from deep. Somehow, the Lake Show failed to communicate, and that left Embiid open for three, and he wasn’t going to miss that, capping off a 9-2 run for the Sixers.

Heading into the fourth quarter, James diced through the Sixers’ defense and pulled off a circus spinning layup to take the lead at 90-88 with 9:34 remaining in regulation. Tyrese Maxey threw down a dunk, but he was countered by James, who pulled off another spin move, this time throwing down a right-handed jam at the end of it.

Harris became a problem for the Lakers down the stretch, luckily, Toscano took one for the team, and drew the offensive foul on Harris. Schroder finally started to find himself, as he made back-to-back buckets. Sometimes you do need to see the ball go through the net. It’s a surreal confidence booster and morale booster.

James Harden was a little bit of an afterthought in this game, but he was still quietly making an impact, as he’s still a dangerous threat, and he showed that as he drove through the lane with ease, placing the Sixers back up at 99-97 with 5:35 remaining.

This game was neck and neck, granted, it’s still a good sign for the Lakers, as they’re still without multiple key rotation players. Without Anthony Davis, this was the best-case scenario for the Lake Show, especially against a team like the Sixers.

Westbrook and James scored back-to-back buckets after Ham was able to successfully challenge a foul call on Brown, changing it from a shooting foul to a normal one. The Lakers now led 107-106 with 2:24 left in the fourth.

Harden tried to equalize but was rejected from behind by Westbrook. However, this one reverted to being a back-and-forth game. Of course, the Lakers were the first to blink, as they gave up an easy bucket to Embiid. Thankfully, Brown made a three in the corner to cut the lead to one.

Embiid took Westbrook one on one to close the game out, but he missed. Somehow, Westbrook was allowed to have the ball in the closing moments with Embiid on him, and Ham opted to not call a timeout, which was baffling. The expected outcome prevailed, with Westbrook doing nothing with it, and the Lake Show lost to the Sixers 113-112.

 

Key Takeaways

 

Ham needed to call that timeout and either give it to James for the final shot or give it to whoever Embiid was not on. It should’ve been such a simple call. King James finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists. Westbrook still put up 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. With that triple-double, Russ now has the most of them off the bench in NBA history. Gabriel, Bryant, and Brown combined for 37 points.

Embiid dominated with 35 points and 11 rebounds. Harden had a solid outing with 24 points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists. Harris and Maxey combined for 31 points. The Sixers also outshot the Lakers from three, shooting 12-34 (35.3%) while the latter was 6-20 (30%).

Ham told reporters after the game, “no, not really” when asked if he thought about calling a timeout on the final possession. He also said that he will take the scenario with Russ on Embiid, “every day of the week and twice on Sunday. It just didn’t work out. It is what it is.”

 

The Lakers will now take on the Houston Rockets. They’ll face off on Monday, January 16th, at 7:30 p.m. PT at the Crypto.com Arena. The game will be available on NBA TV, and AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

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– Jake Ideguchi-Furukawa – Franchise Sports Media

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