Lakers – Sixers: Joel Embiid has the last word against LeBron James

Disappointing. This is the word that undoubtedly best characterizes this defeat of Lakers (their third in a row) against Sixers (113-112) for Los Angeles fans. In back to backthe colleagues of Joel Embiid (35 points, 11 rebounds) and James Harden (24 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists) struggled and suffered, but they still managed to win the snatch in California.

Despite the big performances of LeBron James (35 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) and Russell Westbrook (20 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists), Los Angeles give up at the last minute and the “Purple & Gold” may be regretting their ultimate possession, so bad is the 6th man from Los Angeles negotiating…

So this idea of ​​failure is mentioned first, but clearly does not apply to players of Philadelphiawhich is now placed in the Top 4 of the Eastern Conference.

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

— Joel Embiid and Philadelphia have the last laugh. Just like in Salt Lake City the day before, the Sixers were pushed to their limits. But, just like in Salt Lake City, the Sixers won to the wire, thanks to a capital basket from their All-Star pivot in the final minute (and a pass from James Harden). The kind of success that bonds a group, especially when it comes on the road, after a head-to-head in which neither team broke away. With this victory, their fourth in a row, Doc Rivers’ men are back in a tie with Milwaukee, for third place in the East.

— New “milestone” for the stainless LeBron James. He’s just 11 units short of reaching the 38,000 career point mark and “LBJ” didn’t drag to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in this ultra club. choose. Author of 16 units in the first quarter alone, we quickly sensed that the quadruple MVP was in for a good night and it did not disappoint. Unstoppable in the middle and in the paint, he hated each of his defenders and held his team at arm’s length, to respond to the Embiid / Harden pair. Los Angeles may regret not giving him a bump in the final seconds…

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ James Harden. Along with Joel Embiid, the 2018 MVP was again excellent for the Sixers, taking what the opposing defense left him without wasting anything (9/15 on shots and 4/7 from 3-pts, with only 2 turnovers), but mainly focused on setting up Philly’s attack. We even saw him be decisive at the end, with his series of 7 points or his two caviar for Joel Embiid in money time. Along with one for what will go down as the shot of victory.

✅ Russell Westbrook. Consistent with his recent outings, the 2017 MVP delivered a complete (and clean) game off the bench. With a triple-double, his 4th of the season (all as a substitute, an NBA record) and his 198th of a career, he alternates scoring efficiency (7/14 on shots, 2/5 on 3-pts) and changes felt good along the way. In particular for LeBron James, of course, as well as Wenyen Gabriel (14 points), where the current is better and better on the floor. Unfortunately he ended on a bad note, with this last property poorly managed…

⛔ Last Property of Los Angeles. Should we take a time-out, to start over with a well-executed system, or should we let the game speak, to take advantage of a possibly poorly installed defense? In any case, Darvin Ham chose the second option, because he trusted Russell Westbrook to carry the ball and make the decision. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their leader was completely missed in front of Joel Embiid (and Georges Niang), while LeBron James couldn’t even touch the ball in this sequence. Frustrated (even irritated), the latter immediately returned to the locker room…

THE FOLLOWING

Los Angeles (19-24) : back to back against Houston, on the night of Monday to Tuesday (04:30).

Philadelphia (27-16) : Clippers trip, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday (04:00).