Los Angeles Lakers rally falls short in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers

It was a busy day for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans as the NBA trade deadline passed with no changes to the roster. After 3:00 PM on the East Coast, the Lakers had to prepare to play against the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers.

This was one of those “What if?” games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

• What if NBA games were only 24 minutes?
• What if Dwight Howard was still with the Los Angeles Lakers?
• What if Kyle Lowry was going to be in a Lakers uniform? Would this hurt less?
• What if the Lakers had made a move, ANY MOVE during the trade deadline?
• What if Danny Green had shot half as good as he did in this game in a Laker uniform?

The Los Angeles Lakers were down 18 points going into the fourth quarter. Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma led a furious rally to cut the Sixers’ lead to three points with about a minute left.

Then…

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their fourth straight game to the Philadelphia 76ers 109-101. Buckle up Lakers fans. If the Lake Show lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers, hang on to the memories of the NBA Finals in October because it might be awhile until they win another game.

The good from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

Dwight Howard received his ring and had three full quarters to look at it after getting thrown out.

The Los Angeles Lakers honored Danny Green and Dwight Howard before the game by giving them their championship rings. After that the “Dwightmare” production that so many teams and fans have seen for years showed up. For most of the first quarter, Howard and Montrezl Harrell were going at it. At the end of the first frame when the teams were going to the benches, this happened. Doc Rivers’ description of what went on was classic.

It probably was the best thing that happened to the Lakers. He was the only Sixers player the Lake Show had no answer for. He hit all three of his shots and had 2 blocks including one so fierce it sent Harrell to the floor laying on his back.

This was a game that he could have dominated with the Lakers’ small lineup. His ejection forced Philadelphia to go small and Los Angeles took advantage.

Ben Simmons was BAD in the first half!

With Joel Embiid out, the Sixers was counting on a big game from Ben Simmons. They got the opposite. In the first half alone, he missed all five shots from the field, four free throws and had three turnovers. He set the tone for the Sixers who were playing like they were looking to the Clippers game over the weekend. Sadly, this did not continue in the second half.

The starting backcourt played outstanding and carried the Lakers in the first half. 

Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers should place Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schroder on the trading deadline more often. How about hypnosis every game that it’s trade deadline day? Both players came out and attacked the Sixers early and often. Check out the first half stats alone for these two.

• KCP: 12 points (4-7 shooting! 2-3 from distance!), 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 16 minutes. 
• Schroder: 14 points (4-7 shooting!) and 5 rebounds. He attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line knocking down 6-7. He set the offensive tone in a strong 19 minutes.

To put this perspective, these two probably didn’t get these numbers in multiple games this week much less in a half. A huge bounce-back effort that the Lakers will need on a more consistent basis.

The Los Angeles Lakers really competed and made the Sixers work.

Lake Show Life understands that this team will lose some games without superstars, but the analysis of effort will not stop. In the New Orleans game, the Lakers came out flat and the Pelicans blew them out of the Smoothie Center leading by as much as 30. It could have been the same thing against a title contender in Philadelphia.

Instead, the Lake Show got contributions from every player that touched the floor. Montrezl Harrell did not back down from Dwight Howard and many were surprised the game was tied at halftime. The Sixers were held without a field goal for 4:47 seconds in the second quarter.

The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

The second half started.

The Sixers started the second half on a 14-4 run to break the game open. After the Dwight Howard ejection and the listless way Philly played, it’s safe to say the Doc Rivers halftime speech was probably loud and colorful. His team got the message. The Lakers were outscored 35-17 in the third quarter.

The 3 point defense.

Coming into this game, the Sixers averaged 11 deep balls for the season. TNT announced the over/under for FanDuel’s viewer challenge at 12. That number was eclipsed by the third quarter. Seth Curry was hot. Mike Scott hit a couple from the center spot and others hit some here and there. Then there was…

Danny Green.

Really? If there was any player on the Philly roster the Lakers could have allowed to get hot, why Danny Green. Seriously? This guy.

Danny Green handed out business cards in the Staples Center firing from all cylinders from the 3 point line. This was a guy whose agent prepared him for a potential trade today. He had a better chance of being traded than the Lakers players in the news.

He finished with 28 points on the strength of eight 3 pointers in twelve attempts.

The story from the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss:

Will this be a repeat of the 2019 season for the Los Angeles Lakers?

Let’s put this in the proper context, shall we? See back in 2019, the Lakers pushed their chips in and failed attempt for Anthony Davis. All of the drama caused the locker room to fracture and the Lake Show never recovered. Magic Johnson got on a flight to talk to the team about getting over it and continuing the season. The opponent on that day? The 76ers. It didn’t go well as the Sixers blew out L.A. 143-120. The Lakers collapsed under an injury-plagued season. Sound familiar?

• Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Takeaways from loss to Philadelphia 76ers

Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell spent the day wondering if they were being flipped for Kyle Lowry. Most believe if Talen Horton-Tucker was added to the deal, these three would have been packing their bags for Tampa.

Now that they are staying on the roster, it will be very interesting how these players, especially Schroder and Harrell handle this mentally. Do they check out as the Lakers continue to lose games looking for an offseason exit or are they all in?

LeBron James is “Officially” out 4-6 weeks!

According to the Shams Charania of The Athletic, LeBron James is officially out for 4-6 weeks for this play last Saturday when he suffered a high ankle sprain. It does include this past week as well.

Now that the Lakers have made no changes to the roster via trade, it will be interesting how the front office handles the buyout market. If Andre Drummond doesn’t rock the Lakers purple and gold, fans are in for a long month of April.

Avery Bradley making a return?

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Lakers fans might be reuniting with a player from last year. No, it’s not Dwight Howard.

"A name to monitor as the Lakers look to fill their final roster spots: Avery Bradley. He was traded to HOU from MIA today. Rockets already have logjam of guards to back up John Wall. Bradley, a former Pelinka client, made strong impression on LAL before opting out of the bubble."

Lake Show Life will be monitoring the situation and will break down if this is possible in the future.

Lake Show Life’s more in-depth breakdowns will come in Lake Show Life Lessons tomorrow. Keep it locked for the only Los Angeles Lakers post-game report with highlights and in-depth analysis.