Without LeBron James, who was ruled out due to left knee soreness, the Los Angeles Lakers put up a strong fight against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
L.A. took an early lead and was up by as much as seven in the second quarter, but in the end, Philly just had too much talent for the shorthanded Lakers to deal with, as it won 126-121.
Most valuable player candidate Joel Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds, while young gun Tyrese Maxey posted 21 points and seven assists for the visiting Sixers.
Just a week or two ago, the Lakers might’ve gotten blown out by a team such as Philly without James. Tonight, however, they fought hard against a much more talented team and give it all it could handle.
There is no such thing as a moral victory at this level, but Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has to be encouraged by how his team lost tonight.