PHILADELPHIA (AP) — LeBron James has never experienced a loss as lopsided as the one he experienced in Los Angeles.
James has fallen hard before. The Miami Heat he led once trailed the Heat by 36 points in the NBA Finals. In 2019, the Indiana Pacers defeated James and the Lakers by 42 points.
But Monday night’s beating was historic. When Joel Embiid scored a triple-double in the third quarter, the 76ers had defeated the Lakers 138-94, a 44-point deficit that was the worst in James’ career. Year 2003.
“What needs to change to prevent this from happening to us again? A lot,” James said, without elaborating on his response.
Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid notched his sixth statistical triple-double with two minutes left in the third quarter. This was the first time this season and the seventh game in his career that he had more than 10 assists.
An Embiid-James matchup never materialized. James scored 18 points in 29 minutes, but nothing he did could chip away at the Sixers’ lead. He has played more minutes than any player in NBA history, including in the playoffs.
Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers scored 31 points. Anthony Davis of the Lakers had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Embiid stopped playing in the fourth quarter, and the 76ers still led the Lakers 40-14.
The 76ers opened the game with a lot of three-pointers, making 13 of 26 shots at halftime and leading by 25 points.
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