Lakers vs. Sixers Final Score: Joel Embiid’s 46 points too much for LA

After failing to string a few wins together on the road, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped the first game back home in a 115-109 loss to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Embiid poured on a ridiculous career-high 46 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks. The nearly 35 minutes he was on the floor was the longest stretch of his NBA career, and he made the most of it.

Ben Simmons was also impressive, nearly recording his third career triple-double, with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Simmons and Embiid, when healthy, are one of the most dominant duos in the NBA and are only in their first year together. Expect many nights like this as long as they’re on the same team

Despite the loss, the Lakers showed a lot of fight against a team that had more than a handful of matchups in their favor. Brandon Ingram led the way for the Lakers with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. After being a complete non-factor in the last couple of games, Ingram responded by having arguably his best game of the season.

Also leaving with a career-high was Kyle Kuzma, who put up a season-best 24 points, while also contributing seven rebounds. He had a number of big buckets down the stretch, keeping the Lakers in striking distance, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Jordan Clarkson continues to impress, putting up 24 points off the bench. Clarkson played the entire fourth quarter while Lonzo Ball watched from the sideline once again after another disappointing performance offensively. Typically, when Ball is struggling to score, like he has on several occasions this season, he’s found other ways to influence the game. Tonight was not one of those nights.

The Lakers will have a day off before facing the Phoenix Suns for the second time this week on Friday.