New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs 76ers- Game 49

New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs 76ers- Game 49

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (24-25) | Philadelphia 76ers (29-19)

 

The Los Angeles Lakers fell in tough fashion to the 76ers, 105-87, as Lebron was listed day-to-day.

 

With Lebron listed as day-to-day concerning a knee issue, the Los Angeles Lakers were curious to see how AD could handle the club.  Embiid certainly gave him a run for his money, however, as it proved to be an exciting matchup between the two.  Injury scares had Laker fans worried in this one, but nothing was as severe as it could have been.

While the Philadelphia 76ers won the tip-off, an early stop helped Stanley Johnson get the scoring started. The matchup of Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid began with action, as they both added two scores in the paint. Westbrook appeared to be injured after an embarrassing physical steal from Embiid. However, he recuperated and redeemed himself with a quick bucket to follow as the veteran continued to play.

Anthony Davis continued to make his presence known through the first quarter, scoring six straight points for the Lakers inside. Joel Embiid would not let up on the other side as he and Tobias Harris helped the 76ers maintain a small lead towards the end of the first.  The game began to get out of hand for the Lakers, though, as one final 9-0 run from Philly had them down by 10.

Russ hit a three to cut the deficit early in the second, but the struggles on defense continued. Tobias Harris laid one in for the 76ers to follow, giving them their largest lead of 12 up to that point. AD led a quick 6-0 run in response, dominating the second quarter to keep the Lakers in the game. The team picked up Davis here and there, but an and-one to cap the half for the Lakers proved it was his time to shine.

Embiid and Harris were relentless in the first half for the 76ers, but no one compared to Anthony Davis‘ numbers.  With 23 points and five rebounds, he was surely headed to a double-double, but his team still trailed by six at the half. Two strange turnovers from Russ to end the half left Laker Nation wondering if the game could’ve been closer, but the team headed into the locker room seeking a plan to stop MVP candidate Joel Embiid.

 

Anthony Davis picked up the slack from Lebron’s absence in the first half with 23 points, but the 76ers led 54-48 heading into the second half. 

 

Davis continued his groove to start the half, cutting the lead to only two. Another 9-0 lead for the 76ers stopped the comeback, however, as Tobias Harris found all kinds of openings in the Laker defense. Westbrook and AD both had something to say about this run, though, as they scored to keep the lead in reach.

Buckets from Maxey and Harris began to lead Philly in a comfortable direction, but the third wound down with more AD action. At this point, it looked like he was the only one to show up for the Lakers, as Embiid countered by leading an 8-0 run. The MVP candidate finished the quarter with 20 points, and the Lakers were unfortunate to find themselves down by 20 going into the fourth.

Big-time words were exchanged between Carmelo Anthony and Philly fans in the middle of the fourth due to the scoreboard, and Carmelo Anthony seemed visibly upset by their actions. Considering the circumstances, the Lakers as a whole were upset about the scoreboard, so that nonsense never helps. The game would play out as more of the same for the Lakers, as the sizeable deficit was too much to handle without Lebron.

Anthony Davis seemed to hurt his wrist on one last dunk that give him 31 on the night. The precautions in place for a player’s return are always delicate, and given his decision to play through his wrist injury, Laker Nation hopes he will be fresh to continue as they wait for Lebron’s return. The final was a frightening 105-87 win for the 76ers, as the Lakers were bullied by a near triple-double from Embiid and 23 points by Tobias Harris.

A loss is frustrating enough for this Laker team, but falling below .500 again feels like a broken record. Now in 9th place in the standings, the Lakers have found themselves in one of the worst positions a championship or bust team has ever been in. While there is plenty of time to turn it around, the Lakers’ front office really needs to look at two aspects of their game. Los Angeles fans can only hope they find improvement in all aspects of defense, and certainly from the three-point line as well.

 

The Lakers will travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 and can be seen on ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet.

 

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– Duncan Dye – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Duncan on Instagram @duncan.dye42

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