Lakers handed their worst loss of season as 76ers catch fire from long range

PHILADELPHIA — The Lakers’ 138-94 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was an example of what usually happens when a team dominates two areas of the game: 3-point shooting and the free-throw line.

It’s not unusual for the Lakers (10-8), who entered Monday as one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams, to lose the battle from behind the arc.

But the degree to which they lost that battle, combined with them losing an area in which they usually have the advantage, made it difficult to remain competitive in Monday’s game at Wells Fargo Center – and the scoreboard reflected it for most of the night, leading to the Lakers’ worst loss in six seasons.

“They beat the s— out of us,” Austin Reaves said. “

The Lakers jumped out to an early 13-11 lead behind the forceful play of Anthony Davis, who scored eight points in the first four minutes. He finished with 17 points (7-of-14 shooting) and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes. The Lakers were led by LeBron James’ 18 points and five assists in 30 minutes.

But once the 76ers found their rhythm from long range and started knocking down 3-pointers, the Lakers couldn’t keep up, trailing 32-19 at the end of the first quarter and by at least double digits for the remainder of the game.

“We just [weren’t] together, a lot of quick shots, one-pass shots, no-pass shots,” Davis said. “They started making a lot of shots. And when their lead kinda opened up a little bit, 15, 20, 25, we all tried to be the hero to make the team come back instead of just sticking with it.”

The 76ers blew the game open in the second quarter, leading by as much as 25 and 68-53 heading into the third. The Lakers attempted to make a couple of runs but couldn’t get any closer than 11 points.

Philadelphia made 16 of its first 32 3-point attempts through the first three quarters compared to the Lakers’ 6-of-18 shooting over that same period.

And the 76ers, who lead the league in free throw attempts per game, are one of the few teams that are more prolific at getting to the free-throw line. They went 18 for 21 from the foul line in the first three quarters compared to the Lakers’ 8-of-12 showing.

It all helped give Philadelphia a combined 40-point advantage between 3-pointers and free throws in the first 36 minutes, leading to a 98-80 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The game was out of the Lakers’ hands at that point, with Coach Darvin Ham subbing in a lineup of Jalen Hood-Schifino, D’Moi Hodge, Maxwell Lewis, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes when his team was down 111-84 with 8:19 remaining.

Philadelphia finished the game 22 for 46 from 3-point range (47.8%) and went 22 for 26 at the free-throw line compared to the Lakers’ 7-for-28 shooting from deep (25%) and 9-for-13 effort at the free-throw line.

The 76ers (12-5) were led by their star duo of Joel Embiid (30 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) and Tyrese Maxey (31 points, 5 for 12 from 3-point range, eight assists).

The margin was the Lakers’ worst since falling to the Indiana Pacers, 136-94, on Feb. 5, 2019, and tied for their fifth-worth loss in franchise history .

“Trying to contain Maxey is like trying to contain a Lamborghini,” Ham said. “He’s running around off the ball, pick-and-roll, transition. He makes you guard every level within your defense. Every different situation you have to be on point with your energy and your vision as well. And then you have Embiid, who’s coming and that’s gonna collapse your defense.

“But salute to them. They played really well. They were hitting on all cylinders. Some guys for them made shots that hadn’t been making shots up to this point. And they played with a ton of force. And we did but in not enough portions of the game. It was spotty, at best.”

The Lakers, 1-1 on their four-game road trip, continue the swing with a matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday then a game the following night in Oklahoma City.