LAL 119, PHI 115: Embiid's Big Night Wasted in PHI Defeat
Hiro Tanaka
Physical Therapy Assistant ยท Los Angeles Lakers fan
Lakers Clutch It Out Against Sixers, But Two Dudes Carried the Load
Man, that was the game right there. 119-115 Lakers over Philly, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, the Lake Show barely held on. But when you've got Austin Reaves going full scorer mode and Joel Embiid still dropping 35 on you, sometimes one guy just has to go absolutely nuclear to steal a win. Let's talk about who made it happen and who's got some questions to answer.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Embiid | 70.0 | 59.9 | 35/7/7 | 26.4/7.4/3.9 | +8.6 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 60.0 | 53.5 | 26/0/13 | 28.8/4.1/6.9 | -2.8 |
| VJ Edgecombe | 44.0 | 43.0 | 19/10/2 | 15.2/5.4/4.2 | +3.8 |
| Austin Reaves | 46.0 | 40.2 | 35/6/2 | 26.5/5.2/5.9 | +8.5 |
| LeBron James | 26.0 | 31.8 | 17/4/10 | 21.8/5.6/6.7 | -4.8 |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 26.0 | 26.3 | 8/4/3 | 14.0/4.6/1.5 | -6.0 |
| Jake LaRavia | 30.0 | 25.0 | 14/0/2 | 9.5/4.1/2.0 | +4.5 |
| Dominick Barlow | 26.0 | 24.6 | 13/3/0 | 8.5/5.0/1.2 | +4.5 |
| Rui Hachimura | 28.0 | 23.9 | 14/7/1 | 11.9/3.6/0.9 | +2.1 |
| Deandre Ayton | 27.0 | 23.2 | 10/6/0 | 13.4/8.4/0.9 | -3.4 |
Austin Reaves Just Took Over, Full Stop
Austin Reaves came out of NOWHERE and dropped 35 points on 12-17 shooting with 5 threes in just 25 minutes. That's 40.2 Yahoo points, and he beat his season average by 8.5 points. This isn't a fluke either. He was clicking, pulling up, getting downhill, hitting clutch buckets when it mattered. For a guy averaging 26.5 PPG, this is what you want to see, especially in a close game when every possession counts.
The crazy part? He did it in limited minutes. 25 minutes of pure offensive efficiency. If you own him, you already knew he could go off, but this game reminds everyone why he's locked into Lakers lineups. He's your closer, your guy when the game tightens up.
Embiid Went Off But It Wasn't Enough
Here's the thing about Joel Embiid, and I hate to say it about the reigning MVP, but 35 points on 13-19 shooting with 7 assists and perfect free throw shooting (8-8) is exactly what you expect from him when he's locked in. He put up 59.9 Yahoo points, which is elite, but the Sixers still lost. That's not on him. That's a team loss.
Tyrese Maxey had himself a game too with 26 points and 13 assists (53.5 Yahoo FP), but he scored just 2 less than his season average while his rebounds tanked. The assist bump carried him, but that's the kind of stat line that works in close wins, not losses. When your top two guys are doing this and you still fall short by 4, something else went wrong on the floor.
The Role Player Reality Check
VJ Edgecombe stepped up hard for Philly with 19/10/2 and 4 steals, good for 43 Yahoo points. That's the kind of secondary ball handler production you need against the Lakers' defense, and he gave it. But it wasn't contagious enough to get the rest of the roster going.
On the Lakers side, LeBron James was exactly a facilitator tonight: 17 points, 10 assists, but only 4 rebounds in 37 minutes. That's 31.8 Yahoo points, and while that's solid, it's 4.8 points below his season average. When Austin Reaves is carrying the load, LeBron can play more of a setup role, and that's probably the right call. But you'd rather have both guys going off when it matters.
Rui Hachimura added 14/7/1 in 34 minutes (23.9 Yahoo FP), giving the Lakers some reliable scoring off the bench. That's a game he showed up in.
The Bench Chaos
Here's where things got weird. Jake LaRavia put up a +4.5 from his season average with 14 points and surprisingly solid shooting (5-7 FG). Deandre Ayton was quiet, only 10/6 in 19 minutes, actually going negative versus his average. Given that Ayton is a 73.2% owned player across ESPN leagues and just got picked up more after this game, expect some waiver wire activity here. He's still getting minutes, but he's not the same guy he was at his peak.
Kelly Oubre Jr. for Philly went 2-8 from the field despite the strong free throw shooting (4-4). That's 26.3 Yahoo points but -6 versus his season average. When he's not hitting shots, his value drops fast.
The Takeaway
This was the kind of game where having a guy like Reaves who can flip the switch and take over is your championship path. Embiid played his heart out but couldn't drag his team across the finish line. If you're in Philly, you're not panicking, but you're asking what happens in the next matchup. If you're in LA, you're feeling good about Reaves as a clutch closer.