76ers Take on Lakers as the NBA’s Top 2 Scorers Clash

Tonight, the 44-27 Philadelphia 76ers are tasked with taking on the 31-41 Los Angeles Lakers in the first of a three-game west coast road trip. In their first matchup of the season, on January 27th, Philly prevailed 105-87. The Sixers were led by Joel Embiid, who recorded 26 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one steal. Anthony Davis, who is not expected to play Wednesday, led Los Angeles with 31 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.

Injury Report

Sixers:

• Charles Bassey (G League assignment) — Not available
• Jaden Springer (G League assignment) — Not available
• Myles Powell (G League assignment) — Not available

Lakers:

• Anthony Davis (right mid-foot sprain) — Out
• Kendrick Nunn (right knee bone bruise) — Out
• LeBron James (left knee soreness/effusion) — Questionable
• Talen Horton-Tucker (left ankle sprain) — Questionable
• Mason Jones (G League assignment) — Not available

76ers/Lakers Game Details

Los Angeles enters the contest coming off a 131-120 win Monday night in Cleveland. Frank Vogel‘s squad holds the fifth-highest pace in the league. In contrast, the Sixers have the 28th-highest pace in the league. With lackluster play from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis missing a considerable amount of games this season, LeBron James has been forced to carry an unusually heavy workload. Davis hasn’t appeared in a game since February 16th. James currently is the league’s leading scorer, averaging 30.0 points per game.

Fresh off of an electrifying Tyrese Maxey takeover in Monday’s win versus Miami, the Sixers will welcome Joel Embiid (back) and James Harden (left hamstring) back into the lineup. Embiid trails only the aforementioned LeBron James in the NBA‘s scoring race, averaging 29.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Harden is second in the league in facilitation, averaging 10.2 assists per game.

The duo was essentially rested Monday as the team attempts to taper their workload heading into next month’s playoffs. Second-year rising star Maxey single-handedly willed the team to victory versus the one-seeded Heat. On the night, he dropped in 28 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and a highlight-worthy block in the game’s final stages.

Doc Rivers and the Sixers will hope to see a continuation of encouraging play from Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton. The two contributed significantly in Monday’s win against Miami sans Embiid and Harden. Milton tallied 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in over 31 minutes. Similarly, Korkmaz added 18 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in over 27 minutes of action.

Betting Lines

According to Draft Kings, the 76ers are the favorites to win tonight’s matchup.

• Spread: 76ers -7.5
• 76ers Moneyline: -290
• Lakers Moneyline: +230
• O/U: 229

Tip-off is scheduled for 10 o’clock ET. You can catch the game on ESPN, NBC Sports Philly, and 97.5 The Fanatic. For more Sixers coverage and other Philadelphia sports insight, visit PhillySportsNetwork.com!