LA won its last game 121-115 over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthon Davis bounced back from a slow first half to finish with 32 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, while LeBron James added 22 points, six assists, and six rebounds.
The Lakers’ improvement can be directly attributed to their rising three-point percentage. After starting the year shooting just over 30% from distance, they shot 38.7% from distance during their last nine games.
They also held opponents to an average of 108.7 points during that stretch, 3.5 points below their season standard.
LeBron is continuing his overwhelming dominance against Father Time and averaging 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on the third-best field goal percentage (55.9%) and second-best three-point percentage (38.5%) of his career.
The members of the supporting cast have also found their roles and have created great balance within the team. D’Angelo Russell, for example, is averaging the fewest turnovers of his career while outperforming his career assist average and shooting 39.6% from distance.
Cam Reddish is also eighth in steals and 17th in deflections per game amongst players with at least 10 games played.
LA is only ninth in defensive rating but only 24th in offensive rating. However, it is improving on where it was earlier in the year and should continue to do so as long as LeBron and Anthony Davis remain healthy.
On the other side, reigning MVP Joel Embiid has led the 76ers to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference through the first month of basketball.
The Sixers stopped a two-game skid with a 127-123 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder their last time on the court. Embiid posted a box score of 35 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks, while Tyrese Maxey backed him up with 28 points and eight rebounds.
The Sixers’ hot start to the year can be evidenced by both the eye test and raw numbers. They rank third in net rating and fifth in points per game and have already beaten several top teams, including the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Thunder.
Embiid (32.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 blocks) leads the league in scoring and is third in MVP odds (+750). Maxey is having the best season of his young career and is on track to make an all-NBA team while averaging 26.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.9 rebounds on 40.2% three-point shooting.
Philadelphia has already faced a much tougher schedule than the Lakers and will be more comfortable getting into dogfights. However, they’ll also be at a stylistic disadvantage.
The Lakers are better than anyone at avoiding fouls and commit just 17.5 per game. The Sixers lead the league with 28.5 free-throw attempts per game, and Embiid as an individual scores an average of 10.3 points at the charity stripe.
Even if the visitors succeed in playing within the rules, they’ll struggle to keep up on the boards. Philly ranks sixth in rebound rate, while the Lakers—despite their size—are only 14th.
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Lakers vs. 76ers Prediction and Betting Pick
This matchup can be viewed through a variety of lenses. The Sixers have not only the better record against tougher competition, but they also win two-thirds of their home games, while the Lakers are two games under .500 on the road.
On the other hand, Davis is one of the very few players in the league that has a realistic chance to slow down Embiid one-on-one. His discipline when defending drives will be crucial since Embiid deals more damage at the free-throw line than anyone in the league.
LeBron is scoring 26.7 points on 57/41/72 shooting splits in November. He’s just over a month away from turning 39, but he’ll still need to be at his best for the Lakers to have a reasonable chance.
Keep an eye on the injury report. Whereas Philly’s regular rotation is healthy, Rui Hachimura is out, and Reddish is questionable. Max Christie should slot into the starting lineup if the latter cannot go, just as he did against the Cavs.
We like the Sixers to win and cover here. Their speed and fluidity on the perimeter will be a struggle for the Lakers to match at full strength, especially if Christie has to start in place of Reddish. LA also hasn’t proven itself on the road and has a player in Davis who cannot be consistently trusted not to float through games.
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