Lakers blown out as 76ers catch fire from long range – Press Enterprise

PHILADELPHIA — The Lakers’ 138-94 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was an example of what usually happens when a team dominates two areas of the game: 3-point shooting and the free-throw line.

It’s not unusual for the Lakers (10-8), who entered Monday as one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams, to lose the battle from behind the arc.

But the degree to which they lost that battle, combined with them losing an area in which they usually have the advantage, made it difficult to remain competitive in Monday’s game at Wells Fargo Center – and the scoreboard reflected it for most of the night, leading to the Lakers’ worst loss in six seasons.

The Lakers jumped out to an early 13-11 lead behind the forceful play of Anthony Davis, who scored eight points in the first four minutes. He finished with 17 points (7-of-14 shooting) and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes. The Lakers were led by LeBron James’ 18 points and five assists in 30 minutes.

But once the 76ers found their rhythm from long range and started knocking down 3-pointers, the Lakers couldn’t keep up, trailing 32-19 at the end of the first quarter and by at least double digits for the remainder of the game.

The 76ers blew the game open in the second quarter, leading by as much as 25 and 68-53 heading into the third. The Lakers attempted to make a couple of runs but couldn’t get any closer than 11 points.

Philadelphia made 16 of its first 32 3-point attempts through the first three quarters compared to the Lakers’ 6-of-18 shooting over that same period.

And the 76ers, who lead the league in free throw attempts per game, are one of the few teams that is more prolific at getting to the free-throw line. They went 18 for 21 from the foul line in the first three quarters compared to the Lakers’ 8-of-12 showing.

It all helped give Philadelphia a combined 40-point advantage between 3-pointers and free throws in the first 36 minutes, leading to a 98-80 lead going into the fourth quarter.