3 observations after Sixers lose to Lakers, finish winless West Coast trip

3 observations after Sixers lose to Lakers, finish winless West Coast trip originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ fruitless West Coast trip concluded Friday night in Los Angeles.

They’ll head home at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

With a 116-106 defeat to the Lakers, the Sixers fell to 1-7. Los Angeles moved to 5-4.

Anthony Davis posted 31 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. LeBron James recorded a 21-point triple-double and Austin Reaves had a 20-point, seven-assist outing.

The Sixers’ top scorer was rookie Jared McCain with 18 points.

The team was down All-Stars Joel Embiid (suspension) and Tyrese Maxey (right hamstring strain). Paul George, limited to 25 minutes in his third game since returning from a left knee bone bruise, had nine points on 4-for-13 shooting and eight assists.

The Sixers will host the Hornets on Sunday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Lakers:

Nurse turns to all-bench unit 

Kyle Lowry opened the game in Maxey’s usual place and drained a three-pointer for the Sixers’ first points.

The Sixers’ starters didn’t have much early success on either end of the floor, though. The Lakers began 5 for 6 from three-point range and took a 21-10 lead on a Cam Reddish triple. That led Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to call timeout and play some unconventional lineups.

KJ Martin gave the Sixers a sorely needed jolt. In addition to being dangerous and lively in the open floor, Martin improved to 2 for 2 this season from three-point territory.

Reggie Jackson and Ricky Council IV subbed in with around four minutes left in the first quarter. Nurse closed the first and began the second period with an all-bench lineup, suggesting both that he’d been thoroughly dissatisfied with his starters’ initial stint and liked the energy and production from players like Martin and Guerschon Yabusele (14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, five rebounds). Yabusele’s stock certainly rose on the Sixers’ 0-3 trip.

Eric Gordon was not in Nurse’s 10-man rotation. He’d played a poor game Wednesday night in the Sixers’ loss to the Clippers, going scoreless and committing four turnovers in his 17 minutes. The Sixers obviously don’t have a reliably effective style of play or rotation without Embiid, so it made sense that Nurse somewhat shook things up.

Long look at McCain

McCain missed his first four field goals but kept on firing.

He hit back-to-back wing threes in the second quarter as the Sixers cut further into the Lakers’ early lead.

McCain played his most minutes yet Friday, logging 31. Along with his confidence, perhaps he can capitalize a bit on his unpredictability during this Maxey-less stretch. While he’s still learning what’s efficient for him as a pro, McCain often varies his tempo and attacks from different angles as a driver and finisher. There’s also hardly any NBA tape on him, although Lakers head coach JJ Redick surely knows all about the fellow Duke product’s game.

The Sixers’ bench largely played well Friday. And, though Davis, Reaves and James scored plenty, the Sixers displayed better discipline and focus than in recent outings. They had just three turnovers and three free throws conceded in the first half. Two Lowry foul shots put the Sixers up 57-55 late in the second quarter.

Another double-digit defeat  

The Lakers held a 68-60 halftime lead thanks an 8-0 spurt at the end of the second quarter.

Again, the Sixers’ starters did not play inspired basketball to begin the third quarter. George had a tough stretch against James, missing jumpers short and allowing driving layups to the 20-time All-Star.

George (0 for 6), Kelly Oubre Jr. (0 for 4) and Lowry (1 for 6) all had down games from three-point range. Jackson went 1 for 6 from the field and had multiple very wayward misses.

Meanwhile, Caleb Martin’s season shooting percentages skyrocketed. Through seven games, Martin had made just 33.8 percent of his field goals and 20 percent of his threes, and his shooting motion was at times awkwardly multi-segmented. He fared much better against the Lakers, going 5 for 6 from the field and 3 for 4 from three-point range.

Though Martin’s shot clicking into form is notable, the Sixers have few comforting silver linings at the moment. Friday’s contest was not at all in doubt during the final minutes.

Eight games in, the Sixers have five double-digit losses, one (overtime) win and two All-Stars out.