A pair of teams still trying to find their footing early in the season will clash when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
The Lakers, currently at an even 4-4, are returning home from a tough 1-4 road trip that concluded with a 131-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. LeBron James scored a season-high 39 points, taking on a significant scoring load with Anthony Davis (heel) and Rui Hachimura (illness) out of the lineup. James made 15 baskets on 24 attempts, both season highs, to try to compensate for their absence.
However, the Lakers’ defense struggled, giving up at least 130 points for the second time on the trip as the Grizzlies shot 51.6 percent from the floor and hit half of their 34 attempts from 3-point range. Austin Reaves contributed 19 points and D’Angelo Russell added 12, while the team shot 31.3 percent from beyond the arc, with James making 6 of 11 attempts. Rookie first-round pick Dalton Knecht made his first career start but went 1 for 7 from deep.
The 76ers, meanwhile, have faced their own challenges as 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid has yet to play this season due to a knee injury and now a three-game suspension following an altercation with a newspaper columnist. Embiid will be sidelined through Sunday.
During Wednesday’s 110-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia suffered another setback when Tyrese Maxey left the game with a right hamstring injury, expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. However, free-agent addition Paul George, who missed the first five games with a knee injury, is back in action. George scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 24 minutes against his former team on Wednesday.
While Wednesday provided George the opportunity to see his former teammates in their new arena, Friday will be about returning to the building where he played five seasons with the Clippers and averaged 23.0 points. The five-time All-Star hails from nearby Palmdale, Calif.
The 76ers shot 54.3 percent from the floor in the first half against the Clippers and were tied 51-51 at halftime. However, the Clippers outscored them 33-17 in the third quarter, shooting 70.6 percent to pull away.
