Two old cross Conference rivals square off in LA tonight as the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Lakers. The first meeting of the season was played back in late November, the Sixers thoroughly dominated with a 138-94 blowout win. A lot has happened since, especially on the injury front and this 76ers team is nowhere near the one that recorded that 44-point victory. Joel Embiid remains out, with no timetable set for his return. Robert Covington and De’Anthony Melton join him on the sidelines, while Tobias Harris is questionable with an ankle problem. Philadelphia’s run of 7 straight wins over the Lakers is in jeopardy here, they’ve also won 6 of 7 games at Crypto.com Arena and have covered the spread in 8 of the last 11 meetings. With just 3 wins over their last 9 games, the oddsmakers have Philly as a 7.5 point underdog here.
Getting a win here is a priority for the Lakers, they cannot afford home losses against lesser teams with the Golden State Warriors breathing down their necks. With just 13 games remaining in the regular season, LA is only a half game up in the standings over the Warriors for the 9th seed. Earlier in the week they blew out the Atlanta Hawks 136-105, with their 3 best players AD, LeBron and Russell all playing no more than 31 minutes. Getting extra time off could be crucial down the stretch for the slightly older than normal roster of the Lakers. Injuries have slowed them down as well with Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent all out indefinitely. LA is 13-7 SU over their last 20 games.
