James and Davis Lead Lakers in 4th-Quarter Surge, Fending Off 76ers

The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 101-94 victory over Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA on Friday. Anthony Davis shone with 23 points and 19 rebounds, while D’Angelo Russell was also in full form, setting a new record for the highest number of three-pointers in a single season by a Lakers’ player. LeBron James contributed a solid 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, helping the Lakers break their seven-game losing streak against the Sixers, which had persisted since March 2020.

The closely contested game saw neither team lead by double digits. The fourth quarter saw LeBron score 11 points while Davis added nine, spearheading the team to a hard-fought win with their size and toughness. “Ugly, but we got the job done,” admitted James, calling out their resilient defense in the second half a high point, despite their offense struggling.

D’Angelo Russell somewhat stole the show, when he surpassed Nick Van Exel’s record of 3-pointers from the 1994-95 season by hitting his 184th halfway through the first quarter. Ending the game with 14 points and four 3-pointers, Russell expressed gratitude at getting to be a part of such a prestigious franchise and record. “Just continue to shatter it, if I can. Make it really hard for the next person,” he said.

The Sixers, sans the MVP Joel Embiid, who is recovery from injury, did not go down without a fight, even though it wasn’t overall a stellar performance on their part. Tyrese Maxey took charge and scored 22 of his total 27 points in the second half while Kelly Oubre Jr. secured 19 points and Tobias Harris had 16 points and 13 rebounds. “In tonight’s game, what hurt us was not getting stops at the other end,” reflected Harris, acknowledging their inability to generate enough offense.

In other games, the Golden State Warriors lost 111-123 to Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers were beaten 117-125 by Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs lost 97-99 to Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat were beaten 88-111 by New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves secured a 104-91 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics smashed Detriot Pistons 129-102, and Toronto Raptors were bested 103-123 by Oklahoma City Thunders.