Harris, new 76ers rip Lakers
Joel Embiid had 37 points and 14 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 22 points in his second game with Philadelphia, and the new-look 76ers beat LeBron James and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, 143-120, yesterday.
JJ Redick added 21 points for the Sixers, who have won two straight after acquiring Harris and four others at Thursday’s trade deadline. Jimmy Butler finished with 15 points in front of a packed Philly crowd that brought a playoff-like feel to the nationally televised game.
“The East better watch out,” Lakers president Magic Johnson said. “This is a stacked team.”
Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 39 points while James had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
James was facing Philadelphia for the first time since the Sixers made a big push to sign the superstar as a free agent last summer. He and Kuzma both missed the last matchup with Philly on Jan. 29, which the Sixers won.
Fresh off a buzzer-beating against the Celtics at the Garden, the Lakers shot nearly 60 percent and scored 40 points in the first quarter. But fueled by Redick’s fourpoint play, the Sixers closed the first half on a 19-6 run to take a 76-67 lead into halftime.
Philadelphia’s lead ballooned to 109-94 at the end of the third quarter after T.J. McConnell’s 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The Sixers ran away with the game from there while gleeful fans chanted “Kobe’s better” at James.
Mavericks 102, Trail Blazers 101 — Luka Doncic scored 28 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 24 and host Dallas erased a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Portland.
Damian Lillard scored 21 of his 30 points in the last half of the third quarter to help the Blazers build a lead that grew to 96-81 early in the fourth before the Mavericks mounted their rally.
Kings 117, Suns 104 — Marvin Bagley III had another strong game off the bench with a career-high 32 points and six rebounds, and host Sacramento handed Phoenix its 14th straight loss.
Buddy Hield scored 18 points, De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and nine assists, and Nemanja Bjelica added 10 points to help Sacramento to its fifth win in six games.
Devin Booker had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his return from injury for Phoenix.
Magic 124, Hawks 108 — All-Star Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading Orlando to a victory in Atlanta.
Despite getting into Atlanta around 2:40 a.m. after a 20point victory at East-leading Milwaukee the previous night, Orlando looked like the fresher team by far in recording its third straight victory.
Elsewhere in the NBA — Indiana health officials say people who had contact with a bat last week during an Indiana Pacers game have possibly been exposed to rabies.
The Indiana State Department of Health said anyone who touched the bat with bare skin during the Pacers’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in Indianapolis is urged to contact the department or a health care provider about receiving rabies vaccinations.
A person is considered potentially exposed to rabies only if direct contact occurs between a bat and the person’s bare skin. There have been no reports of contact.