The Sixers were in control for a good chunk of the game, but an ugly fourth quarter sunk them and ended their win streak.
Feb 6, 2026, 5:36 AM UTC
All good things must come to an end.
After controlling the action for the first two and half quarters, the Sixers fell apart to close the third and start the fourth quarter of a 119-115 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. The Sixers’ season-high five-game win streak was snapped.
Joel Embiid, who cooled off a little after a hot start, led the Sixers with 35 points on 13-of-19 from the field. He added seven rebounds and seven assists. Tyrese Maxey couldn’t find his outside shot, but still finished with 26 points and 13 assists.
Austin Reaves gave the Lakers a huge boost off the bench, dropping 35 points. That helped L.A.’s reserves outscore the Sixers’ 61-14.
The Sixers’ record now sits at 29-22. They’ll continue their West Coast trip Saturday in a matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Here are some thoughts from Thursday’s game.
* It was a strong two-way start for Sixers. With Kelly Oubre Jr. on Luka Doncic and Dominick Barlow on LeBron James, the Sixers’ rotations were crisp early. The Sixers’ offensive process was strong, but they couldn’t get it going from long range.
* As Joel Embiid got warm, the Lakers went to a zone. It didn’t really help as Embiid continued cooking — though his lob to VJ Edgecombe was … off the mark. Embiid had 12 in the first to lead all scorers.
* After a strong start, the defense sagged a bit late in the quarter, as Luka started to get free.
* It was a rough shooting first quarter for Tyrese Maxey, who went 0-for-5 from deep — with most of those being quality looks. The Sixers as a team didn’t make a three, missing all eight attempts. The Lakers didn’t shoot much better, going 1-of-7.
* It might’ve been the Lakers’ feeling the fatigue of returning from a long road trip, but the Sixers seemed to have way more jump early. L.A. turned it over seven times and the Sixers held a 27-21 lead.
* Justin Edwards got some run to start the second. He committed two quick fouls and was way off on a three attempt. He dipped in for a nice midrange jumper off an aggressive closeout, the type of move he made regularly and confidently as a rookie.
* The Lakers couldn’t get much going in the halfcourt, but the Sixers’ leaky transition defense reared its ugly head, as LeBron was able to get going with a couple fast-break opportunities. Austin Reaves, who is still coming off the bench as he ramps up from injury, also gave L.A. a spark.
* Trendon Watford is starting to look more comfortable. He’s building a bit more chemistry with Embiid. Watford’s ability to play in the pick-and-roll and make accurate entry passes to the big fella is noticeable. Quentin Grimes also seems to have some jump for this bench unit, which was excellent against the Warriors.
* The Sixers still had trouble converting from deep. They only made two threes in the half, both by Edgecombe.
* Quentin Grimes has now claimed two bodies in Los Angeles this week. My goodness.
* And another fantastic run in L.A. for Barlow. He scored off two sweet Maxey dimes in transition and also made an impressive block on Rui Hachimura. Though it was a tough shooting start for Maxey, he dished out eight assists to one turnover in the first half.
* Doncic appeared to hurt his left leg and went back to the Lakers’ locker room. He did not return.
* Reaves kept the Lakers in it, pouring in 14 points in 10 minutes, but turnovers were the story. L.A. turned it over 13 times, while the Sixers had just three. Embiid led all scorers with an even 20 points. He also had five boards and four assists. The Sixers had 21 assists on 24 makes on their way to a 59-51 halftime advantage.
* The Sixers picked up where they left off as Maxey dished out two more assists for easy Barlow buckets. After another forced turnover, Embiid hit Maxey with a pretty bounce pass for a layup, which led to an early JJ Redick timeout. The Sixers stretched the lead to 65-51. Maxey hit double-digit assists before points.
* It was a different story for LeBron from his last matchup against the Sixers. The NBA legend struggled with turnovers and couldn’t get any shots to fall. Unfortunately, the Sixers got a bit sloppy with the basketball too, which helped the Lakers stay within arm’s reach.
* Embiid just kept rolling, including this super fun and-one — which the bench loved, of course.
* The Sixers’ offense got a bit bogged down, which again helped the Lakers get transition opportunities. Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt were active in pestering the Sixers. L.A. closed the gap to 74-69 about midway through the third, forcing a Nick Nurse timeout.
* A quick five points out of that timeout from Embiid helped stem the tide. He was up to 30 points and briefly got the lead back to double-digits. It was Reaves again though who gave the Sixers problems. If not for Reaves and the Sixers’ awful transition defense, this game could’ve been a blowout. Alas, it was far from it.
* Just a dreadful, sloppy close to the third quarter for the Sixers and the Lakers were right back in the game. The Sixers committed seven turnovers. Watford was able to get a couple nice stabilizing baskets, but it was a 87-85 game heading into the fourth.
* Reaves buried two incredibly difficult threes to start the quarter and the Sixers committed two more turnovers. You could feel all the momentum shifting the Lakers’ way as they took their first lead of the night.
* The Sixers got a bit preoccupied with the officials, too. The whistle was awfully kind to L.A., as they had nearly double the amount of free throws, but it’s a losing battle. They have to do better to just push through it.
* The Lakers really ratcheted up the physicality in the fourth and the Sixers didn’t respond well. They couldn’t get anything going on offensively. They didn’t have a field goal and had only four points midway through the fourth. Maxey also picked up his fifth foul on a questionable call. L.A. pushed its lead to as much as 16.
* The Sixers started to do some extra trapping in desperation. It worked on a couple possessions and they got the deficit down to six. Just when it looked like the Lakers might seal the game, Edgecombe stole an inbounds and immediately buried an off-balance three to make it a three-point game with under a minute left.
* Smart split a pair of free throws to get it back to a two-possession game. A quick Maxey bucket made it a two-point game, but the Sixers gave up a ridiculously easy layup to Rui Hachimura to end it.
Comments
Getting the conversation ready...