Austin Reaves, Lakers edge 76ers despite Luka Doncic’s early exit
LOS ANGELES — The signs of a Lakers team that is close to fully healthy emerged. Austin Reaves led the Lakers in scoring at halftime, coming off the bench to provide offensive firepower despite still playing on a minutes restriction. LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Reaves all graced the hardwood at the same time.
It was what Coach JJ Redick had been waiting for: 11 games above .500 as they opened an eight-game homestand, the Lakers with an opportunity to make a move up the tightly packed Western Conference standings behind their star trio, who were playing in only their 10th game together during a season in which all three have struggled with significant injuries.
That was, until Doncic limped. And stopped. He turned to grab his left hamstring during late in the first half of the Lakers’ 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. After turning the ball over with just over three minutes left in the second quarter, Doncic – named to next week’s All-Star Game for the sixth time in his career – walked to the locker room and didn’t return in the second half due to what the team said was left leg soreness.
No Luka? No problem. In his absence, Reaves piled on the points across 25 minutes in a leading role, firing off a pair of 3-pointers at the start of the fourth quarter, flipping his tongue out and waging it around as he skipped down the court on both occasions as he provided the Lakers with a 91-87 lead, their first of the game.
The Lakers, who had fallen behind by as much as 14, never trailed again as Reaves finished with 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting (5 for 8 from 3-point range).
Midway through the third quarter, Reaves – who returned Tuesday after being sidelined with a left calf strain since Christmas – pulled up for a 26-foot 3-pointer before turning on the jets to blow by 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey for a layup.
A handful of plays later, forward Rui Hachimura cut the Lakers’ deficit to two points three with a corner 3-pointer, a 14-foot jumper and a pair of free throws on consecutive offensive possessions. The spurt of scoring, just before the end of the third quarter, helped to set up Reaves’ fourth-quarter flurry.
Even James, who struggled by his standards on Thursday – 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting to go with eight turnovers – swerved his way to the hoop to flip the ball off the backboard and into the basket to continue a 12-2 run, increasing the lead to 97-89 to force 76ers coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout.
The Lakers led 110-94 with four minutes left, but Philadelphia closed the gap to 116-113 when rookie VJ Edgecombe stole James’ inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play. Maxi Kleber fed Rui Hachimura for a dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Lakers hung on.
Center Joel Embiid paced the 76ers with 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting, exploiting a Lakers’ frontcourt that remained intact following Thursday’s midday trade deadline. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and 13 assists.
With backup center Jaxson Hayes serving a one-game suspension without pay, Maxi Kleber turned hero with less than seven minutes to play, scraping an offensive rebound away from Embiid under the rim, kicking the ball out to James and into guard Marcus Smart’s hands for a 3-pointer – building a 100-91 advantage in the process.
Kleber and James helped to hold Embiid to just five fourth-quarter points.
The Lakers held the 76ers to just 5-of-24 shooting from behind the arc, while improving from just two 3-pointers in the first half to finish with nine for the night. Despite Embiid’s presence, the Lakers won the rebound battle 42-28 while snapping the 76ers’ five-game winning streak.
More to come on this story.