Lakers Highlights: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey Outclass LA In Philadelphia

Even Patrick Beverley got in on the demolition.

Your Los Angeles Lakers suffered their most miserable loss of the 2023-24 NBA season thus far, falling 138-94 on the road to the Philadelphia 76ers.

LA got off to a quick start in Philadelphia, riding some Anthony Davis interior scoring to an early 13-8 lead. The Brow accounted for eight of those first 13 Lakers points, scoring on layups and jumpers alike. 

AD makes it look easy! pic.twitter.com/AqyLg7ldU5

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 28, 2023

Soon thereafter, reigning league MVP and scoring champ Joel Embiid was whistled for two big personal fouls just 3:52 into the game with LA leading 13-11. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried to challenge the second call, but he was too slow to make the request, and the ruling stayed. 

Nurse opted to keep Embiid in so he could effectively pester Anthony Davis. The Sixers promptly went on a 17-2 run (20-2 overall, including in the minutes right before the second Embiid foul on Davis) to notch their first double-digit lead of the night, 28-15.

In desperation late into the first quarter (with 2:51 left, to be precise), Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham turned to rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino for the first time all year. He was incredibly terrible.

Beyond Davis' quick offense (he had 10 points in the frame), few other Lakers could get much cooking in the first half, while Tyrese Maxey (10 points) and Embiid (12 points) pummeled Los Angeles. The Sixers led, 32-19, at the end of the first quarter.

Embiid sat out for the first half of the second quarter, but it didn't even matter. The Sixers just increased their advantage, thanks to a barrage of shoddily-defended three-point shooting.

With LA leaving him wide open from deep, ex-Lakers guard Patrick Beverley quickly achieved a new season-high in made triples against his former team just midway through the second quarter. He had been connecting on just 13.6% of his 1.4 treys a night heading into this meeting. The 35-year-old would go on to finish with a stellar 4-of-8 long range shooting mark for the night.

A late 14-4 Lakers run at the end of the opening half helped Los Angeles chip away at the edge a bit, but Philadelphia pushed back. LA eventually shaved down the Sixers' run from 25 points to "just" 15 at the break. The Sixers led 68-53.

Great pick-and-roll action. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/bmfnRCGIcU

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 28, 2023

James (13 points on 6-of-7 shooting), Davis (12 on 6-of-10 shooting) and Austin Reaves (11 on 4-of-6 shooting) were LA's three players in double digits. Starting small forward Taurean Prince only took a single shot, which was pretty darn unacceptable.

On the Sixers side, Embiid already had 17 points and seven rebounds, Maxey had 20 points and six dimes, and Marcus Morris (!), who wasn't even part of the Sixers' rotation prior to Kelly Oubre's rib fracture, was the club's other double figure scorer in the opening half, with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

The issues were plentiful for Los Angeles at the break. A brutal three-point shooting disparity, -30, was the most glaring problem. The Lakers' perimeter defense was appropriately atrocious. Los Angeles didn't even attempt to shoot a triple in the second frame until just 3:38 remained in the quarter.

LA also coughed up lots of careless turnovers in the game's two opening periods (six to Philly's zero).

During the first half, Philly scored their most triples for any half this year, with 13. The Lakers made just three of their 10 triple tries in the opening half, while the Sixers went 13-of-26.

Though LA enjoyed a significant edge when it came to points scored in the paint, the Sixers got to the line significantly more in the opening half. Philadelphia went 7-of-8 from the foul line, outpacing LA's 2-of-4 first half.

Embiid showed off masterful two-way play, including an embarrassing rejection of AD late in the second period.

LA's terrible transition defense represented another sore spot to start the obliteration.

All that said, the Lakers continued their little run at the top of the third quarter, thanks in part to a slightly more engaged Taurean Prince... but they still were powerless to stop Joel Embiid, who absolutely punished LA inside. The club also seemed fairly disengaged along the perimeter, and made some strange scheming choices defensively.

Embiid had already recorded a 30-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double by the end of the third. He also did... whatever this was:

Probably the most interesting moment in the entire third frame, from a Lakers fan perspective at least, was when Austin Reaves and former teammate/mentor Patrick Beverley got into it late into the period.

Austin Reaves and Pat Bev getting chippy 👀 pic.twitter.com/rlEOySC48Z

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2023

An 8-1 Lakers scoring run temporarily got LA as close as 14 points late in that frame.

The two teams had a fairly level third quarter from a scoring perspective (Philadelphia outscored them 30-27), but the prior deficit proved too epic to surmount.

Philadelphia led 98-80 at the end of the quarter.

Following a 17-4 Philadelphia run to open the fourth period, Darvin Ham surrendered at the 8:18 mark. LA trailed by a whopping 27 points at the time. Nick Nurse kept future All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey in the game long enough to score 31 points of his own, but it happened against LA's scrubs. He also dished out eight assists.

The final margin was a catastrophic 138-94. Keep in mind, the expected spread was a mere -5.5 in favor of the Sixers.

The Lakers actually shot pretty well overall in the game (47% from the floor), but their three-point shooting differential (Philadelphia made 15 more three-pointers, meaning a 45-point edge on that side of the arc) proved too much to overcome, along with the mightiness of Embiid, at whom Darvin Ham frequently threw ineffective double teams, leaving 76ers' shooters open beyond the post.

Embiid finds himself on quite a tear of late. Across his past nine contests, he's averaging 32.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.

LA now falls to a 1-1 record on its continuing four-game road trip fall, and 10-8 on the season, while the Sixers improve to 12-5.

The Lakers will next face off against the Detroit Pistons, losers of 13 straight. 

Motown boasts plenty of young, athletic players, so it's imperative that the Lakers not snooze on their shooters and patrol the perimeter, lest they fall into a dreaded "trap" game against a lesser opponent.

Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or LA Sports Report yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!