Lakers fall to 76ers in LeBron's absence.
Following a much-needed win over the Nets, the Lakers had to go into tonight's matchup against the 76ers without all-star LeBron James due to a sore knee (day-to-day), as Anthony Davis' big night wasn't enough against Philadelphia, losing 105–87, dropping their record back under .500 at 24–25.
On a night where the Lakers were without LeBron James, the Lakers' struggles came from the field, shooting just 21% (6-for-29) overall from behind the arc on just six made threes and barely cracking 41% (36-for-88) shooting overall as a team.
Anthony Davis gave the Lakers a solid performance in just his second game back from an MCL sprain, out-dueling MVP candidate Joel Embid (who finished with 26 points) with a game-high 31 points on 67% (14-for-21) shooting, adding 12 rebounds and 4 blocks in 33 minutes.
After the game, Davis reassured how he felt in just his second game back from injury, saying: "I feel really good on both ends of the floor. My body feels great."
Outside of his game-high six turnovers, Russell Westbrook had a solid outing quarterbacking the Lakers offense in LeBron's absence from the lineup, finishing the night second on the team with 20 points on 60% (9-for-15) shooting overall, adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 34 minutes of action.
In the 4th quarter of tonight's loss, Carmelo Anthony had a sideline altercation with a 76ers fan, who frequently used the word "boy" toward him, saying after the game, "Things were said that were unacceptable. I'm cool with fans heckling, fans talking trash. But when you cross certain lines, as a man, that's what you're going to see."
The Lakers' next matchup comes on a road against the 27–22 Charlotte Hornets in the second night of back-to-back road games, as just two games remain in their current six-game road trip.