Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES CALIF- Joel Embid, James Harden, and the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Los Angeles to face a shorthanded Lakers squad on Wednesday, March 23.
Joel Embid and James Harden continue to show they pair well together. The duo combined for 54 points as the 76ers defeated the Lakers 126-121.
Embid paired his 30 points with 10 rebounds for a double-double performance. His counterpart James Harden went for 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Lakers opened the game hot, scoring 30 points in the first quarter. Los Angeles, without LeBron James, got off to the start they need to beat a tough 76ers team.
Philadelphia responded in the second quarter. Outscoring the Lakers by 12 to take a 61-52 lead into halftime.
The 76ers stretcher their lead to as large as 14 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers didn’t back away.
Ending the 3rd quarter with a 14-4 run, the Philadelphia advantage shrunk to 93-91.
A tight final quarter, ended with the 76ers holding off any final Los Angeles comeback to secure a road win.
Career-high Night
Stanley Johnson received the starting nod with LeBron James sitting out Wednesday night with left knee soreness. The 25-year-old forward out of Arizona turned the start into a career-high performance.
Johnson scored a career-high in points in the first quarter. Going 5-5 from the field he scored 13 points to spark the Lakers’ offense.
Unfortunately for Johnson, his big scoring output came to a halt after the first quarter. He ended the night with those 13 points on 5-7 shooting.
Playing 32 minutes against the 76ers, he did have eight assists and five rebounds.
Philly Starters Scoring, LA Bench Balling
Four of the five Philadelphia starters finished the game in double-digit scoring. Led by the duo of Embid and Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris had no issue scoring either.
Maxey finished with 21 points, shooting 8-14 and 3-5 from three-point range. He had seven assists and five rebounds as well.
Harris scored 20 points and had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Los Angeles bench played a major role in this game. Carmelo Anthony played a significant 31 minutes tonight and did not disappoint.
Anthony scored 20 points, absolutely drilling midrange shots throughout the game. He added seven rebounds to go along with the scoring total.
Malik Monk also had a great game from the field. Going 10-20 from the field, Monk scored 23 points.
Revenge Game for Howard
After spending the past year playing for the 76ers, Dwight Howard got the opportunity to compete against his former team.
Only averaging 5.2 points a game, Howard turned in a motivated performance Wednesday night.
The Lakers big man scored 24 points and helped keep Los Angles in the game until the end.
Playoff Outlook
The win keeps the 76ers in the race for the No.1 spot in the Eastern Conference. The win locks Philadelphia in a three-way tie for No.2 in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
The 76ers, now sit 1.5 games back of the Miami Heat for the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers remain in a play-in spot despite the loss. The 31-42 record is not how people envisioned the 2022 Lakers to look.
With injuries playing a large role in the Los Angeles struggles, they still sit comfortably in playoff contention.
The Lakers hold the No.9 spot in the Western Conference with a two-game advantage over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are on the outside looking in as they rank No.11 in the Western Conference standings.
Up Next
Philadelphia will remain in Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Friday, March 25.
Los Angeles travels to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Sunday, March 27.
