3 observations after the Sixers’ loss to the Lakers, ending a winless game on the West Coast

3 observations after the Sixers’ loss to the Lakers and winless end to the West Coast trip originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ unsuccessful trip to the West Coast ended Friday evening in Los Angeles.

They will go home as the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

With a 116-106 loss to the Lakers, the Sixers fell to 1-7. Los Angeles finished 5-4.

Anthony Davis scored 31 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. LeBron James posted a triple-double with 21 points and Austin Reaves added 20 points and seven assists.

The Sixers’ best scorer was rookie Jared McCain with 18 points.

The team was without All-Stars Joel Embiid (suspension) and Tyrese Maxey (right hamstring strain). Paul George, who played just 25 minutes in his third game since returning from a bone bruise in his left knee, had nine points on 4-for-13 shooting and eight assists.

The Sixers host the Hornets on Sunday night. Here are observations from their loss to the Lakers:

The nurse turns to the unit, which only consists of a bench

Kyle Lowry opened the game in Maxey’s usual spot and scored the first point for the Sixers with a three-pointer.

However, the Sixers’ starters didn’t have much early success on either end of the floor. The Lakers started 5-for-6 from three-point range and took a 21-10 lead on a triple from Cam Reddish. That prompted Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to take some time off and play some unconventional lineups.

KJ Martin gave the Sixers a much-needed boost. In addition to being dangerous and lively in the open floor, Martin also improved to 2-for-2 from three-point territory this season.

Reggie Jackson and Ricky Council IV subbed in with about four minutes left in the first quarter. Nurse ended the first and began the second period with a bench-only lineup, suggesting that he was completely dissatisfied with the first appearance of his starters and that he was impressed by the energy and performance of players such as Martin and Guerschon Yabusele (14 points at 5-). liked. For-6 shooting, five rebounds). Yabusele’s stock certainly rose in the Sixers’ 3-0 loss.

Eric Gordon was not in Nurse’s 10-man rotation. He had a poor game in the Sixers’ loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night, going scoreless and committing four turnovers in his 17 minutes. The Sixers obviously don’t have a reliably effective style of play or rotation without Embiid, so it made sense for Nurse to mix things up a bit.

Take a long look at McCain

McCain missed his first four field goals but kept making them.

He hit back-to-back wing threes in the second quarter as the Sixers continued to extend the Lakers’ early lead.

McCain played his most minutes yet with 31 on Friday. Maybe in addition to his self-confidence, he can also exploit his unpredictability a little in this Maxey-free phase. While he is still learning what is efficient for him as a pro, McCain often varies his pace and attacks from different angles as a rider and finisher. There’s hardly any NBA footage of him either, although Lakers head coach JJ Redick certainly knows all about his Duke colleague’s game.

The Sixers’ bench played well for the most part on Friday. And although Davis, Reaves and James scored a lot, the Sixers showed more discipline and focus than in recent games. There were only three turnovers and three free throws in the first half. Two foul shots from Lowry gave the Sixers a 57-55 lead late in the second quarter.

Another double-digit defeat

Thanks to an 8-0 lead at the end of the second quarter, the Lakers had a 68-60 lead at halftime.

Again, the Sixers’ starters weren’t playing inspired basketball early in the third quarter. George had a tough time against James, missing jumpers short and allowing the 20-time All-Star to make driving layups.

George (0-for-6), Kelly Oubre Jr. (0-for-4) and Lowry (1-for-6) all had losses from three-point range. Jackson went 1 for 6 from the field and had several very erratic errors.

Meanwhile, Caleb Martin’s scoring rates skyrocketed on the season. Through seven games, Martin had made just 33.8 percent of his field goals and 20 percent of his three-pointers, and his shooting motion was awkwardly multi-part at times. He performed significantly better against the Lakers, going 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from three-point range.

While Martin’s shot to form is noteworthy, the Sixers have few comforting hopes on the horizon at the moment. Friday’s contest was not at all in doubt in the final minutes.

After eight games, the Sixers have five double-digit losses, one (overtime) win and two All-Star loss.