Two of the better young cores in the NBA went head-to-head at Staples Center Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers.
In what was an entertaining, back and forth game, it was the 76ers who ultimately came out victorious, beating L.A. 115-109, dropping the Lakers to 6-9 on the season.
Philadelphia’s young duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons stole the show, as Embiid finished with a career-high 46 points on 14-of-20 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks. Embiid scored in a variety of ways, and when he wasn’t scoring he was getting to the free throw line, where he knocked down 16 of his 19 attempts.
Simmons was also very impressive in the win, nearly missing a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and five steals.
Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball struggled, making just one of his nine shots, but fellow rookie Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram picked up the slack in the loss as they both set career-highs in points.
Ingram finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds on 11-of-18 shooting, while Kuzma contributed 24 points and seven rebounds.
Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson also had another solid performance off the bench, scoring 20 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
While the Lakers seemed overmatched by Embiid and Simmons, they stayed in the game until the very end which has to be an encouraging sign for Lakers head coach Luke Walton and his young team.
They next take the court Friday night when they host the Phoenix Suns, a team they have already beat twice on the road this season.
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW LAKERSNATION FORUM CLUB