The Los Angeles Lakers, led by Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell‘s record-setting performance, secured a hard-fought 101-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers during Friday’s NBA action, ending a long-standing losing streak against their rivals.
“Ugly, but we got the job done,” James said. “We defended (well) in the second half. They only had 18 (points) in the fourth. That’s big-time when the offense was struggling like it was. … We turned the ball over way too much and gave up too easy baskets, but when we got in the half-court, we buckled down and made them take tough shots.”
Russell’s achievement of setting a new Lakers season record for 3-pointers added a historic note to the victory, surpassing Nick Van Exel‘s record from the 1994-95 season.
“It just feels good to be part of one of these type of deals,” Russell said. “This franchise is one of the most prestigious, so to have my name be a part of it, more than grateful. Just continue to shatter it, if I can. Make it really hard for the next person.”
The game remained closely contested, with neither team leading by double digits, showcasing the defensive efforts and struggles on offense from both sides. Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse commended his team’s execution and effort despite the loss.
“I thought we played unbelievably hard (and) executed the game plan,” Nurse said. “I just thought we could not get enough offense to hang in there. … As long as we play our guts out, I can live with it. I’m having a hard time living with it right now because I thought we played so hard and executed so well.”
The 76ers, missing Joel Embiid, leaned on Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris but found challenges in translating their efforts into a win.
“With Joel being out, it’s created opportunities for other guys,” Harris said. “But in the grand scheme of things, we also know that this group has to figure out ways to generate that type of offense. In tonight’s game, what hurt us was not getting stops on the other end, because when we were out in transition, that was some of our best offense.”
The Lakers will try to build on this victory as they host Indiana next, while the 76ers aim to bounce back against the LA Clippers.
