Lakers vs 76ers, 93-84: Their Tank Is Bigger

Tank Wars ended with the Lakers topping the 76ers for their second-straight victory

The last time that we checked in with the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Philadelphia 76ers—a.k.a. Tank Wars—the Sixers picked up their first victory of the season in the first road game of the Kobe Bryant farewell tour. However, things had changed quite a bit from that point as the Sixers took the floor in STAPLES Center on Friday night.

For one, Kobe was out for Friday night’s contest to help nurse a shoulder that’s been bothering him a bit over the past week. Moreover, Philadelphia came into this game having won two of their last three games rather than not having won at all like in the first matchup. More importantly, though, the result was different.

The interesting thing about the fact that the Lakers were able to secure their second consecutive victory on Friday night is the fact that it feels oddly unsatisfying. Not only was it merely a victory over the worst team in the league that had already defeated them earlier in the year, but it was a win against the very team that would get the Lakers’ 2016 first round draft pick if it were to fall outside of the top-three.

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Even with the bittersweet undertones of the victory, there were plenty of positives to take away. Though it’d be nice to see him be more aggressive when given chances, Anthony Brown got some time on the floor as a starter in place of the injured Kobe and performed well. Moreover, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. held down the power forward position phenomenally and continued to increase the curiosity regarding whether or not two of the most consistent forces on the roster could co-exist in the same lineup.

Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson also showed flashes and solid production in this matchup, though they happened to do so inefficiently. Unfortunately, amidst all of these positives was the play of D’Angelo Russell. The rookie point guard was an abomination shooting the ball and had trouble with turnovers. It was largely just rookie mistakes and a bit of a cold spell, though, and nothing to be overly concerned about.

All in all, there were positive flashes that the Lakers showed on Friday night against Philly, but it’s hard to say that it really means much of anything. As bad as things are in Los Angeles, the Sixers have always been worse. Let’s just hope that they don’t take the Lakers’ pick at the end of all of this.

Three stars

Rookie Larry Nance Jr. again showed signs of his rapid improvement this season as he put up eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action.

Julius Randle continued to be impressive no matter if he’s starting or coming off of the bench. He finished the night with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two steals in 24 minutes off of the bench.

Lou Williams’ final numbers were fine even if his play was sometimes troubling. He finished with 24 points, five assists, and four rebounds.

Highlights

"Jordan Clarkson with the tough lay up"

"Get out of Julius Randle's way!"

"And another one for Julius Randle"

"Ball Movement!"

Odds

The Lakers were 3.5-point favorites in this game, a spread that they covered in the victory. The two teams fell way under the 210-point O/U line with their sloppy offensive performance.

Next: 5 Things Lakers Fans Can Look Forward To In 2016

Next Game

The Lakers will be back in action on Sunday night as they take on the Phoenix Suns at STAPLES.

Philly’s next game will also be in STAPLES as they’ll take on the Clippers on Saturday night.