Lakers vs. Sixers: Joel Embiid has the final word on LeBron James

Annoying. This is definitely the word that best describes this defeat Lakers (third in a row) vs Sixers (113-112) For Los Angeles fans. In back to backteammates Joel Embiid (35 points, 11 rebounds) and James Harden (24 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists) struggled and suffered, but were able to pull off an upset win in California.

Despite his great performances LeBron James (35 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) and Russell Westbrook (20 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists), Los Angeles They capitulated at the last minute and the Purple and Gold may regret their last possession, so fouled up by the 6th man from Los Angeles…

So this concept of frustration was mentioned beforehand, but it obviously doesn’t apply to the players Philadelphianow installed in the Top 4 of the Eastern Conference.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

— Joel Embiid and Philadelphia are having the last laugh. Just like the day before in Salt Lake City, the Sixers were pushed to their limits. But, just like in Salt Lake City, the Sixers won down to the wire thanks to a capital basket (and James Harden’s layup) from the All-Star pivot in the final minute. The kind of success that unites a group after a mano-to-mano where neither team is separated, especially when it’s on the road. With this win, their fourth in a row on the road, Doc Rivers’ men move back into a tie with Milwaukee for 3rd place in the East.

— A new “stage” for the stainless LeBron James. He was 11 points short of reaching 38,000 career points, and “LBJ” didn’t crawl to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in that ultra club. choose. Author of 16 units in the first quarter alone, we quickly sensed that the four-time MVP was poised for a great night, and he didn’t disappoint. Unstoppable in the mid-range and in the paint, he disgusted every one of his defenders and kept his team at arm’s length to answer the Embiid / Harden pairing. Los Angeles might therefore regret not giving him a swell in the final seconds…

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ James Harden. Along with Joel Embiid, the 2018 MVP was once again very good for the Sixers, taking what the opposing defense left him without missing a beat (9/15 shooting and 4/7 3-pointers, with just 2 turnovers). but mainly focuses on building the Philly offense. We even saw him end up being decisive with a 7-point streak or two spawns for Joel Embiid. money time. Including what will remain the winning shot.

✅ Russell Westbrook. Consistent with his recent performances, the 2017 MVP delivered a complete (and clean) game off the bench. With a triple-double, his 4th of the season (all in substitutions, an NBA record) and 198th of his career, he’s alternated brilliantly between scoring efficiency (7-of-14 shooting, 2-of-5 3-pointers) and noticeable turnovers. good luck on your way. Of course, the current is going better and better, especially for LeBron James, but also with Wenyen Gabriel (14 points). Unfortunately, it ended on a bad note, this last possession was handled very poorly…

⛔ Last owner of Los Angeles. Should we take a timeout to restart on a well-built system, or should we let the game do the talking to take advantage of a possibly poorly installed defense? Darwin Hamm chose the latter option anyway, as he relied on Russell Westbrook to pick up the ball and make the decision. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their leader was completely missed in front of Joel Embiid (and Georges Niang), while LeBron James was unable to touch the ball in that sequence. Frustrated (even irritated), the latter immediately returned to the dressing room…

NEXT

Los Angeles (19-24) : back to back vs. Houston, Monday through Tuesday night (4:30 p.m.).

Philadelphia (27-16) : Trip to Clippers, Tuesday to Tuesday (04:00).