One player nearly scored 40 points. Another nearly recorded a triple-double. But individual efforts could only carry the Lakers so far, as team defense doomed them in Philadelphia.
They shot a robust 51.6 percent from the field but had no answers on the other end, as the 76ers steamrolled their way to a 143-120 victory.
“We shot the ball well tonight,” coach Luke Walton said, “but for where we’re trying to go and what we’re trying to do, we’ve got to find our passion for playing defense again. Defense is going to be everything for our group in this final stretch of the season.