LeBron James suffers worst defeat in NBA career as Embiid, 76ers rout Lakers by 44 points
PHILADELPHIA (AP) LeBron James never endured a lopsided basketball defeat like the one he suffered with Los Angeles in Philadelphia.
James has lost big before. His Miami Heat once got trounced by 36 points in the NBA Finals. The Indiana Pacers beat James and the Lakers by 42 in 2019.
But this blowout was an all-timer: By the time Joel Embiid clinched a triple-double in the third quarter, the 76ers were on their way to a 138-94 win over the Lakers on Monday night, the 44-point loss now the worst in James' career that dates to 2003.
“What needs to change in order for that to not happen again? A lot,” James said, without elaboration.
The miserable milestones piled up for the Lakers. It was their worst loss to the 76ers in 290 games in the series.
It was so bad, James didn't even grab a rebound.
OK, one more: The 76ers beat the Lakers for the seventh straight time.
“That's my favorite team,” Embiid said, again noting he learned of basketball through Kobe Bryant. “Any time I play against them, you want to get the win. But I do it every night anyways against every other team.”
The box score tells part of the story. The 76ers hit 22 3-pointers to just seven for the Lakers, and even when Embiid sat out the entire fourth quarter, the 76ers still outscored them 40-14.
“We got killed on the 3-point line,” James said. “They made shots. Give them credit.”
The rest? It was just a lethargic effort from a team that seemed resigned early - the 76ers led by 25 in the first half - that was it was a good night to throw in the towel.
“Your competitive spirit has to be at a high level,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It almost has to be bulletproof to a certain degree. You have to meet force with force. They outhustled us.”
The reigning NBA MVP, Embiid finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his sixth career triple-double. It was Embiid's first of the season and his seventh career game with 10-plus assists.
Embiid's anticipated showdown with James never really materialized. James scored 18 points in 29 minutes but nothing he did could make a dent in the 76ers' lead. He has now played more minutes than any player in NBA history, with playoff time included.
“That doesn't mean much to me,” James said.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the 76ers. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers.
The 76ers opened the game 3-point happy and hit 13, a season high for a half, on 26 shots.
Maxey hit four. The Lakers, though, left any Sixer not named Maxey or Embiid open and paid for it. Patrick Beverley hit three in the half and Marcus Morris Sr. went 3 for 3. Embiid buried one for a 64-39 lead.
The Lakers missed 7 of 10 3s in the half.
With Eagles QB Jalen Hurts watching courtside, Embiid blocked Davis with such authority the smack could be heard rows deep off the court.
Maxey scored 20 at the break as he tries to strengthen his bid for his first All-Star berth. Embiid had 17 as he makes a run at his third straight scoring title.
“You certainly don't go into a game like this expecting that kind of game to break out,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “When the 3 ball starts going in the way they did early, I think that just energizes everybody.”
The 76ers put their 12th win away early.
They also scored points for trash talk when forward Paul Reed called Davis “a big flopper.”
“You know, he’s gonna be flailing,” Reed said at shootaround.
Both coaches were bemused at why a backup poked Davis.
“Go guard him, I guess. Best of luck, Paul,” Ham said.
No matter. The game was never competitive enough to worry much about fouls and flops.
The 76ers won their second straight after a two-game losing streak and could have Kelly Oubre Jr. back soon. Oubre averaged 16.3 points in eight games before he was injured in an alleged hit-and-run accident. He participated in shootaround and may join the 76ers on their upcoming two-game road trip.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Have back-to-back road games Wednesday at Detroit and Thursday at Oklahoma City.
76ers: Hit the road for games Wednesday at New Orleans and Friday at Boston.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Anthony Davis vs. Joel Embiid (Tyrese Maxey gains possession) | |||
11:42 | De'Anthony Melton misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
11:39 | Max Christie defensive rebound | |||
11:30 | +2 | Max Christie makes two point cutting dunk (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 2-0 | |
11:05 | Nicolas Batum misses three point jump shot | |||
11:02 | Taurean Prince defensive rebound | |||
10:50 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point pullup jump shot | 4-0 | |
10:29 | Anthony Davis shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | |||
10:29 | Joel Embiid misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
10:29 | 76ers offensive rebound | |||
10:29 | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-1 | |
10:17 | Joel Embiid personal foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
10:11 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point jump shot (Taurean Prince assists) | 6-1 | |
9:56 | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving floating jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 6-3 | |
9:43 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point driving layup (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 8-3 | |
9:32 | +3 | Nicolas Batum makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 8-6 | |
9:18 | Anthony Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
9:15 | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | |||
9:07 | Joel Embiid misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
9:05 | Max Christie defensive rebound | |||
9:00 | +3 | LeBron James makes three point running pullup jump shot (D'Angelo Russell assists) | 11-6 | |
8:48 | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving finger roll layup | 11-8 | |
8:29 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point turnaround jump shot (LeBron James assists) | 13-8 | |
8:18 | +3 | Joel Embiid makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 13-11 | |
8:08 | Joel Embiid shooting foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
8:08 | Anthony Davis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
8:08 | Lakers offensive rebound | |||
8:08 | Anthony Davis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
8:06 | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | |||
7:56 | Tyrese Maxey misses three point jump shot | |||
7:53 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
7:48 | D'Angelo Russell misses two point driving hook shot | |||
7:46 | Tobias Harris defensive rebound | |||
7:44 | Taurean Prince shooting foul (Tobias Harris draws the foul) | |||
7:44 | +1 | Tobias Harris makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-12 | |
7:44 | +1 | Tobias Harris makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-13 | |
7:32 | Taurean Prince turnover (bad pass) (Nicolas Batum steals) | |||
7:14 | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 13-16 | |
6:55 | Taurean Prince misses three point jump shot | |||
6:54 | Lakers offensive rebound | |||
6:54 | Tobias Harris personal foul (Loose ball) (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
6:54 | 76ers 60 second timeout | |||
6:47 | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | |||
6:45 | 76ers defensive rebound | |||
6:29 | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point pullup jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 13-19 | |
6:14 | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point driving reverse layup | 15-19 | |
5:55 | Tyrese Maxey misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
5:52 | D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound | |||
5:33 | LeBron James misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:31 | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | |||
5:25 | Tobias Harris misses three point jump shot | |||
5:23 | Lakers defensive rebound | |||
5:08 | Anthony Davis misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:04 | Tobias Harris defensive rebound | |||
4:57 | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving finger roll layup | 15-21 | |
4:47 | Robert Covington blocks D'Angelo Russell's two point driving layup | |||
4:44 | Robert Covington defensive rebound | |||
4:36 | Joel Embiid misses two point stepback jump shot | |||
4:33 | Robert Covington offensive rebound | |||
4:30 | +2 | Tobias Harris makes two point driving layup (Robert Covington assists) | 15-23 | |
4:15 | Austin Reaves misses three point jump shot | |||
4:13 | Robert Covington defensive rebound | |||
3:58 | +3 | Patrick Beverley makes three point pullup jump shot | 15-26 | |
3:38 | Max Christie misses three point jump shot | |||
3:36 | 76ers defensive rebound | |||
3:16 | Tobias Harris misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
3:11 | Joel Embiid offensive rebound | |||
3:11 | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point putback layup | 15-28 | |
3:04 | D'Angelo Russell misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
2:59 | Robert Covington defensive rebound | |||
2:52 | De'Anthony Melton misses three point jump shot | |||
2:51 | Lakers defensive rebound | |||
2:51 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
2:35 | Jalen Hood-Schifino misses three point jump shot | |||
2:31 | Robert Covington defensive rebound | |||
2:12 | Joel Embiid misses two point stepback jump shot | |||
2:09 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
2:00 | +2 | Austin Reaves makes two point pullup jump shot (Jalen Hood-Schifino assists) | 17-28 | |
1:42 | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 17-30 | |
1:30 | Anthony Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
1:27 | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | |||
1:23 | Jaxson Hayes personal foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | |||
1:19 | Patrick Beverley misses three point jump shot | |||
1:13 | Joel Embiid offensive rebound | |||
1:13 | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point putback layup | 17-32 | |
0:56 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point layup (Jaxson Hayes assists) | 19-32 | |
0:36 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses two point jump shot | |||
0:34 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
0:25 | Jaxson Hayes misses three point jump shot | |||
0:22 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | Joel Embiid misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
0:00 | 76ers offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | 76ers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:45 | LeBron James turnover (bad pass) (Tyrese Maxey steals) | |||
11:35 | Jaxson Hayes personal foul (Tyrese Maxey draws the foul) | |||
11:24 | Tyrese Maxey misses three point jump shot | |||
11:20 | Christian Wood defensive rebound | |||
11:10 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point driving finger roll layup | 21-32 | |
10:51 | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point jump shot (Patrick Beverley assists) | 21-35 | |
10:24 | +2 | Christian Wood makes two point cutting layup (LeBron James assists) | 23-35 | |
10:07 | +3 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes three point jump shot (Patrick Beverley assists) | 23-38 | |
9:56 | Christian Wood turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
9:41 | Patrick Beverley misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
9:37 | Christian Wood defensive rebound | |||
9:26 | Austin Reaves misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
9:26 | 76ers defensive rebound | |||
9:26 | Austin Reaves personal foul (Loose ball) (Marcus Morris Sr. draws the foul) | |||
9:14 | Patrick Beverley misses two point floating jump shot | |||
9:10 | Paul Reed offensive rebound | |||
9:10 | +2 | Paul Reed makes two point tip dunk | 23-40 | |
8:57 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point driving layup (Austin Reaves assists) | 25-40 | |
8:44 | +3 | Patrick Beverley makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 25-43 | |
8:36 | Lakers 60 second timeout | |||
8:29 | +2 | Austin Reaves makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Anthony Davis assists) | 27-43 | |
8:06 | +3 | Patrick Beverley makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 27-46 | |
7:58 | Patrick Beverley personal foul (Austin Reaves draws the foul) | |||
7:52 | Anthony Davis turnover (traveling) | |||
7:39 | Anthony Davis blocks Tyrese Maxey's two point driving layup | |||
7:39 | 76ers offensive rebound | |||
7:27 | Tyrese Maxey misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
7:25 | Taurean Prince defensive rebound | |||
7:21 | +2 | Christian Wood makes two point running alley-oop layup (LeBron James assists) | 29-46 | |
7:01 | +3 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 29-49 | |
6:50 | Paul Reed personal foul (Austin Reaves draws the foul) | |||
6:39 | Anthony Davis turnover (lost ball) (Nicolas Batum steals) | |||
6:36 | +3 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes three point running jump shot (De'Anthony Melton assists) | 29-52 | |
6:15 | +2 | Max Christie makes two point pullup jump shot | 31-52 | |
5:51 | +2 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes two point pullup jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 31-54 | |
5:37 | Marcus Morris Sr. personal foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
5:26 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point jump shot | 33-54 | |
5:11 | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 33-57 | |
4:54 | Christian Wood misses two point cutting layup | |||
4:51 | Anthony Davis offensive rebound | |||
4:51 | +2 | Anthony Davis makes two point tip layup | 35-57 | |
4:51 | Lakers delay of game violation | |||
4:40 | Max Christie shooting foul (Tyrese Maxey draws the foul) | |||
4:40 | +1 | Tyrese Maxey makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-58 | |
4:40 | +1 | Tyrese Maxey makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-59 | |
4:26 | Nicolas Batum personal foul (Anthony Davis draws the foul) | |||
4:18 | +2 | D'Angelo Russell makes two point pullup jump shot | 37-59 | |
3:54 | Joel Embiid misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
3:52 | Nicolas Batum offensive rebound | |||
3:51 | Tobias Harris misses two point driving layup | |||
3:48 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
3:44 | Joel Embiid blocks Anthony Davis's two point running layup | |||
3:44 | Lakers offensive rebound | |||
3:38 | Christian Wood misses three point jump shot | |||
3:38 | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | |||
3:30 | Christian Wood shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | |||
3:30 | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-60 | |
3:30 | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-61 | |
3:13 | +2 | Christian Wood makes two point driving finger roll layup (Austin Reaves assists) | 39-61 | |
3:03 | Tobias Harris misses three point jump shot | |||
3:00 | Robert Covington offensive rebound | |||
2:59 | +3 | Joel Embiid makes three point jump shot (De'Anthony Melton assists) | 39-64 | |
2:38 | +3 | Austin Reaves makes three point pullup jump shot | 42-64 | |
2:21 | Joel Embiid misses two point bank jump shot | |||
2:21 | Austin Reaves defensive rebound | |||
2:21 | Robert Covington personal foul (Austin Reaves draws the foul) | |||
2:21 | 76ers 60 second timeout | |||
2:21 | +1 | Austin Reaves makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 43-64 | |
2:21 | +1 | Austin Reaves makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-64 | |
2:04 | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point stepback jump shot (Joel Embiid assists) | 44-66 | |
1:47 | +2 | Austin Reaves makes two point cutting finger roll layup (LeBron James assists) | 46-66 | |
1:35 | Tobias Harris misses three point jump shot | |||
1:32 | Austin Reaves defensive rebound | |||
1:21 | +2 | LeBron James makes two point driving finger roll layup | 48-66 | |
0:56 | +2 | Tobias Harris makes two point driving layup (Joel Embiid assists) | 48-68 | |
0:46 | Austin Reaves turnover (lost ball) (Joel Embiid steals) | |||
0:39 | LeBron James blocks Tobias Harris's two point running layup | |||
0:39 | Anthony Davis defensive rebound | |||
0:35 | +3 | D'Angelo Russell makes three point running jump shot (Max Christie assists) | 51-68 | |
0:31 | Tyrese Maxey misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:28 | D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound | |||
0:15 |