The Philadelphia 76ers start a five-game home stand against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, looking to extend their surprising two-game winning streak. Coming off a huge upset of the Cleveland Cavaliers and then a 12-point victory over the Chicago Bulls, the team is still shorthanded but playing better as a team than they were to start the season. The Lakers are in the midst of their own four-game winning streak with wins over the Wizards, Warriors, Celtics, and Hornets as they arrive in Philadelphia.
Sixers game information
Who: Los Angeles Lakers (26-18) at Philadelphia 76ers (17-27)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT, Spectrum SportsNet
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are in the midst of a two-game winnings streak and will undoubtedly have a hard time with a Lakers team that is currently in fifth place in the Western Conference. As has been the issue all season, the Sixers will be severely undermanned as Joel Embiid, Paul George, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Andre Drummond, and Jared McCain are all out for Tuesday’s game.
Coming off a game where the Sixers shot poorly against the Bulls, they’ll need everyone that’s on the court to be at their best. Things didn’t look good when Paul George injured his finger and missed most of the Bulls game, but Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. stepped up with 31 and 22 points for the two of them. Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson had 12 and 13 points as the Sixers got contributions from players that weren’t expected. Some key defensive stops helped get the win over the Bulls, but things won’t be as easy against a tough Lakers team.
With Guerschon Yabusele listed as probably having some knee issues for the game, the Sixers will rely again on players like Adem Bona and Justin Edwards to provide some defense and scoring. While Edwards’ shot wasn’t falling against the Bulls, the first-year forward showed promise and came up with three steals against the Bulls to help the Sixers win. Bona finished the game with 4 points but added 7 rebounds to help the team. They’ll need a lot more against the Lakers, who are mainly healthy.
Latest on the Lakers
The Lakers are currently in fifth place in a crowded and good Western Conference and are currently riding their own four-game winning streak. With Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent listed as probable, the Lakers may be slightly shorthanded, but they still have Anthony Davis and Lebron James to handle the bulk of the load for the team.
While Lebron James is playing at 40 years old, his scoring is down, but it seems more to be from his control than a lack of ability. On the season, Lebron is averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 9 assists per game and shooting 51% from the field. Lebron’s 38.7% on his three-point attempts is his second-best percentage, after last year’s 41%, since the 2012/13 season. He’s become more efficient and is still playing at a high level.
Anthony Davis is having another fantastic season, averaging 26.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game. While the two aging stars aren’t showing any signs of slowing down, the team will continue to need players like Hachimura, Austin Reeves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dalton Knecht, and Max Christie to play at a high level if they’re going to make some noise in the Western Conference playoffs.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers and Lakers will battle to see who extends their current winning streak, and while the Lakers are mostly healthy, the Sixers aren’t anything close. They’ll rely on a lot of Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr, who’s really stepped up his game of late, averaging 22 points and 12.5 rebounds in the past two victories for the team. Maxey needs to be his most efficient version of himself if the team is going to stand a chance. The shooting woes that have plagued the Sixers star for most of the season absolutely can’t be there tonight.
While the Sixers will be shorthanded, it doesn’t mean that they can’t stay with the Lakers. Justin Edwards has found himself playing an important role on the team, and through some ups and downs, he has shown that he belongs in the league. He gives the team scoring ability along with a good defensive game. Adem Bona has started to improve as his minutes increase, and with only Yabusele playing despite battling an injury, the Sixers will be looking for quite a bit more from Bona. Both players will need to be at their best on Tuesday night.
Prediction
Sixers 116 – Lakers 114
