Austin Reaves scored 35 points off the bench, LeBron James added 17 points with 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the loss of Luka Doncic to earn a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Southern California on Thursday.
Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura each scored 14 points as the Lakers won in their return from a season-long eight-game road trip during which they went 5-3. Doncic left the game late in the second quarter with left leg soreness after scoring 10 points.
The Lakers came back from an 11-point deficit in the first half and won after not taking their first lead until 11:21 remained in the game.
Joel Embiid scored 35 points and Tyrese Maxey added 26 points with 13 assists as the 76ers saw their season-high five-game winning streak come to an end. Philadelphia is 2-1 to start a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams.
VJ Edgecombe scored 19 points with 10 rebounds and Dominick Barlow added 13 points for the 76ers.
Philadelphia led by as many as 14 points with 10:50 remaining in the third quarter and were up 74-62 with 7:07 left in the period before Los Angeles came to life. The Lakers went on a 16-8 run to take an 87-85 deficit into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers’ first lead came on a rushed 3-pointer from 32 feet by Reaves to beat the shot clock to go up 88-87 in the opening minute of the fourth. Reaves had a personal 8-0 run to put Los Angeles up 93-87 with 10:16 left.
A 13-4 run, capped by another long 3-pointer from Reaves, gave the Lakers a 106-93 lead with 5:24 remaining. The Sixers went on a late 10-0 run to get within 110-104 with 1:47 left.
Philadelphia pulled within one possession at 116-113 after a steal and 3-pointer from Edgecombe with 36 seconds left before Los Angeles sealed the victory on a dunk from Hachimura with 12.3 seconds remaining.
Reaves’ ninth game of at least 30 points this season came in his second game back from a 19-game absence because of a calf injury.
