The NBA trade deadline has officially passed, and for the Los Angeles Lakers, that means it’s time to shift gears and get back to the business of basketball. After wrapping up a solid 5-3 road trip, the Lakers returned home Thursday night to face the Philadelphia 76ers - and while the first game back after a long road swing can sometimes be a trap, L.A. managed to dig deep and pull off a gritty 119-115 comeback win.
Early on, though, it looked like the Lakers might be in for a long night. They came out flat, hitting just one of their first six shots and coughing up some careless turnovers. That sloppy start gave the Sixers a quick 20-10 lead and forced head coach JJ Redick to burn an early timeout to reset the group.
That timeout seemed to do the trick. Rui Hachimura came off the bench and immediately knocked down a three, then Luka Doncic followed it up with a layup and a dunk to cut into the lead. Both teams cooled off to close the first quarter, and the Lakers found themselves trailing 27-21 heading into the second.
The energy picked up in the second quarter. A LeBron James dunk and an Austin Reaves three helped the Lakers chip away at the deficit.
But the momentum took a hit when Doncic appeared to tweak his hamstring. He headed straight to the locker room and didn’t return for the rest of the half.
With Doncic sidelined, Reaves stepped up in a big way, shouldering the offensive load. But on the other end, the Lakers had no answer for Joel Embiid, who continued to dominate inside. At halftime, L.A. was down 59-51.
When the team came back out for the second half, Doncic wasn’t with them - eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game. The Sixers came out firing, scoring six straight to push their lead back into double digits. Redick called another quick timeout, and once again, the Lakers responded.
Reaves and Hachimura led the charge, finding their rhythm and chipping away at the lead. The Lakers closed the third quarter strong, cutting the Sixers’ advantage to just two points at 87-85 heading into the final frame.
Reaves opened the fourth with a deep three as the shot clock expired, then buried another one to give the Lakers their first lead of the night. From there, they started to take control. Marcus Smart knocked down back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 10, and Reaves delivered the dagger shortly after, capping off a wild comeback.
Philadelphia made a late push, but the Lakers held firm and closed it out.
In just his second game back from injury, Reaves was nothing short of electric. He poured in 35 points, grabbed five boards, and added a pair of assists - all in just 25 minutes. His shot-making, especially in the fourth quarter, was the spark L.A. needed with Doncic out.
Now, with the trade chatter in the rearview mirror and a big win under their belts, the Lakers will look to build momentum. They’ve got four more games at home to close out the first half of the season, starting with a marquee matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.