PHILADELPHIA — The Lakers hit a standstill in the Grammy road trip as an all-around road loss that saw Anthony Davis exit early led to a one-sided 118-104 defeat to the Sixers, snapping a four-game win streak.
“Fatigue, just mental and physical. Bad decision-making and poor execution,” head coach JJ Redick said. “Very unorganized throughout the game.”
“You have to look at the big picture. We’re headed in the right direction and were missing a bunch of key players.”
The 14-point loss drops the Lakers’ record to 26-19 and 10-13 on the road this year, which ranks third worst among the top 11 teams (LAC, PHX) in the Western Conference.
Here are some takeaways from the Lakers loss to the Sixers:
AD Exits Early
Anthony Davis, who was coming off his first 40-point, 20-rebound game of the season, was headed toward another effort night lifting this Lakers team, hitting two of his first three shots before leaving the ball game late in the first quarter.
"When our best player goes out, it's always challenging," said LeBron James, who finished with 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Davis had four points, two rebounds and a steal in nine minutes before leaving with an abdominal muscle strain. Davis wouldn't return.
There is no status on Davis’ injury, but an update will be followed in the coming days. His status in Washington is up in the air.
Disastrous 2nd Quarter
The matchup going into it was heavily in the Lakers' favor against a short-handed Sixers team without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Andre Drummond. And it started that way as L.A. outscored the Sixers 14-5 to start.
From then on, the Sixers would absorb the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl momentum and outscore and outwork L.A. 20-11 the rest of the quarter. Tyrese Maxey (15) and Guerschon Yabusele (10) scored all of Philadelphia’s 25 first-quarter points.
The momentum carried over for Philly, with the Lakers surrendering a season-high 48 points in the quarter behind 66% (14-for-21) shooting and 14 made free throws on 15 attempts.
A lackluster second quarter led to a 73-57 score at the half, led by Maxey with 28 points.
LeBron James would be the sole firepower in second for L.A., finishing with 31 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
The Lakers had no answer in stopping Maxey as he continued to pour on and hold the Sixers lead, which reached as much as 25.
Maxey finished with 43 points, which is the 11th straight game he has scored 27+ points.
Turnovers, Turnovers, and 20 more Turnovers
In a game that got ugly as the night went on, so did the effort, as it led to a season-high 22 turnovers, with Philadelphia scoring 26 points off those mistakes.
The Sixers took advantage of a crippled Lakers frontcourt, scoring 56 points in the paint and nabbing 12 offensive rebounds.
Philadelphia would get 15 stocks (14 steals, four blocks) to the Lakers eight (five steals, three blocks).
Bronny James’ First Action SInce Opening Night
With Gabe Vincent out of the lineup (knee soreness), Bronny James got his first taste of action in the first quarter. His first minutes he's seen since opening night when the score wasn't already determined.
"Just trying to do things right as a rookie is my main priority," Bronny said.
Redick said the goal for bringing in Bronny early in the matchup was to bring energy to the group, adding that he put him in a tough position traveling the day before in a nationally televised game.
In 15 minutes, Bronny notched three rebounds, one assist, and a block and went zero-for-five from the field.
Next Game
The Lakers will head to Washington for the third contest of their six-game road trip on Thursday against the Wizards.
The Wizards, who the Lakers beat at home 118-88 last Tuesday, are on a 14-game losing streak with an NBA-worst 6-39 record.