Tyrese Maxey delivered a dominant performance, scoring 43 points to lead the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The victory snapped a losing skid for Philadelphia, which played without injured stars Joel Embiid and Paul George.
Maxey continued his red-hot scoring stretch, extending his streak of 25-point games to 11 straight. He had 41 points by the end of the third quarter and shot 15-of-26 from the field, including four made three-pointers.
The 76ers broke the game open with a 48-point second quarter, creating a lead they never surrendered. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 20 points and eight rebounds, while Guerschon Yabusele contributed 14 points and five rebounds.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 31 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep Los Angeles in the game. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura each chipped in 13 points, while Dalton Knecht provided a spark off the bench with 24 points.
The Lakers suffered a major setback when Anthony Davis exited late in the first quarter with an abdominal muscle strain. Davis, who had been averaging 26.3 points and 12.1 rebounds this season, played just 10 minutes and finished with four points.
Bronny James saw 15 minutes of action but went scoreless while recording three rebounds and one assist. His father, LeBron, moved into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time steals list during the game.
Philadelphia improved to 18-27 with the win and sits just outside the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers, now 26-19, remain in the middle of the Western Conference standings but could face challenges if Davis misses extended time.
