The Los Angeles Lakers strutted into Philadelphia on Tuesday night with swagger, riding a four-game winning streak and dreams of an undefeated six-game road trip. They left the City of Brotherly Love, however, with nothing but bruised egos and a harsh reality check, courtesy of Tyrese Maxey and a relentless 76ers squad. The final score? A painful 118-104 defeat, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick wasn’t exactly handing out participation trophies afterward.
In his postgame remarks, Redick got straight to the point—perhaps too straight for the comfort of LeBron James and Co.
“Three games in four nights, back-to-back. I’m not sure where our collective brains are at,” Redick said, clearly unimpressed. “I understand the physical fatigue. We were a step slow all night on Maxey.”
Translation? The Lakers played like they were trying to guard Maxey in molasses, while the 76ers speedster danced circles around them for 43 points in under 36 minutes. Not exactly a defensive masterclass by LA.
Lakers vs. Themselves (And Lost)
Even LeBron James, who usually wears superhero capes rather than scapegoat tags, didn’t sugarcoat things.
“Just don’t think we were mentally sharp tonight,” James admitted. “Made a lot of mistakes, that simple.”
You know it’s bad when even The King—who usually turns adversity into bulletin board material—sounds more like a disappointed math teacher after a failed pop quiz. And speaking of struggles, James’ night was a mixed bag: he extended his streak of 20+ point games to eight by dropping 31 points, along with eight rebounds and nine assists. But those eight turnovers? Yikes.
Redick didn’t hesitate to call it out, pinning some of the blame on sheer exhaustion.
“I attribute (a few of) [LeBron’s] turnovers to a lot of fatigue,” Redick said.
Fatigue, bad luck, or just the overwhelming presence of Maxey turning Lakers defenders into turnstiles—take your pick.
Defensive Effort: Not Found
It wasn’t just LeBron struggling with the turnover bug. The entire Lakers squad looked a step behind on defense, like they were buffering in real-time while Philly streamed in 4K. Maxey had his way with them, cooking every defender LA threw at him like they were items on a fast-food menu.
“Who’s next?” Maxey probably asked mid-game, while Lakers defenders responded with the basketball equivalent of Not It!
What’s Next? Please, Just an Easy Win
After this deflating loss, the Lakers now turn their attention to the Washington Wizards. If there were ever a game where they could regain their footing, it’s against the Wiz—a team currently playing like they were assembled from a Craigslist ad.
The real test, however, looms on Saturday against the New York Knicks, where LA’s stars will need to bring their A-game, preferably without needing a search party to find their “collective brains.”
For now, Lakers fans will just have to hope that Tuesday night’s horror show was a one-off and not a sneak peek at a future full of defensive disasters. Because if Maxey had that much fun, imagine what Jalen Brunson might do.
Buckle up, LA. The road trip isn’t over yet.