The Lakers reach a new low, fall to 76ers for Philadelphia’s first win of the season
The Los Angeles Lakers started their matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night on a high note as the Wells Fargo Center and city of Philadelphia paid tribute to a hometown hero in Kobe Bryant playing his last game in his hometown. However, that’s where the pleasantries essentially stopped.
Kobe and the Lakers, losers of six-straight coming into Tuesday night, suffered the most brutal loss yet to the Sixers. Philly came into this game with a record of 0-18, just one loss shy of the worst start in NBA history. Yet, the Lakers couldn’t end their losing streak still.
The first half started off with a bang as Kobe came out firing and hitting three three-pointers in the first 90 seconds of play. Though, Bryant cooled off tremendously over the rest of the first half (he still kept shooting, of course), Julius Randle played solid offensively as he and D’Angelo Russell were in-sync in the pick-and-roll.
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At one point in the first half, the Lakers had jumped out to a 14-point lead and even took an eight-point lead into halftime. Things were looking good for Los Angeles in Kobe’s homecoming, but they fall apart in the final 24 minutes.
The fact that this was Kobe’s homecoming reared its head in an ugly way. Kobe has given the Lakers so much over the years in terms of love, titles, and success. However, he made Tuesday night all about him from the moment he hit those threes to start the game and it killed the Lakers. He simply shot them out of the game, shooting 7-26 from the field and 4-17 from three.
Moreover, it was more of the same, depressing problems and bright spots for the Lakers. Their perimeter defense was trounced in this one, despite a lackluster backcourt lineup for the Sixers, as they allowed them to shoot 14-32 (43.8 percent) from long-range in this game. Jordan Clarkson again emerged as Los Angeles’ most consistent offensive threat, keeping the deficit manageable in the second half almost single-handedly.
While the Kobe farewell tour is going to have emotion, he can’t continue to let that emotion take over and ultimately cause him to take his Lakers team out of games like he did on Tuesday night. This team has enough problems, but the last thing the Lakers need is something to exaggerate the already present issues. Sadly, that’s what it looked like might be in store for this team in Philly.
Three Stars
Jordan Clarkson was the only consistent bright spot for the Lakers on the day. He finished the agme with 19 points, two assists, and five rebounds while shooting 9-19 from the floor.
Robert Covington was a beast for the 76ers in helping them pick up their first win of the season. He finished the night with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks on 8-16 shooting from the floor and 5-11 shooting from long-range.
Jerami Grant was an unsung hero, filling up the box score for the Sixers. He finished the night with 14 points on 6-7 shooting from the floor and added seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and four blocks.
Highlights
"SWAGGY"
Odds
The Sixers were one-point favorites at tip-off, a line that they covered in their first win. The two teams just hit the under on the 195-point O/U line.
Next: Philadelphia Honors Kobe With Video Tribute
Next Game
The Lakers will be back in action on Wednesday night as they travel to D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards.
Philadelphia will go on the road on Wednesday as well, taking on the New York Knicks.