The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their three-game road swing with a 112-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, Dec. 7, 2025, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous two contests for the birth of James’s second daughter, while guard Marcus Smart remained sidelined. Their presence proved decisive as Los Angeles moved to 17-6 on the season.
Fast start counters Sixers’ early surge
Doncic opened the scoring with a mid-range jumper and a three-point play, but Philadelphia responded behind Joel Embiid, Paul George and a Tyrese Maxey three-pointer to grab a 17-9 lead. Doncic became the game’s first double-digit scorer with a deep three, and James followed with consecutive transition dunks. Rui Hachimura’s corner triple helped the Lakers pull even at 30-30 to end the first quarter.
Bench contributions and late slip before halftime
Los Angeles claimed its first lead early in the second period when Adou Thiero forced a steal that led to a James three-pointer. Rookie Jared McCain energized Philadelphia off the bench with back-to-back threes, while Austin Reaves missed his first eight shots before connecting on a difficult layup and a three. Embiid closed the half strong, sending the 76ers to the locker room ahead 60-53.
Lakers catch fire after the break
James scored five quick points to open the third quarter, then set up Hachimura for an alley-oop that cut the deficit to one. The Lakers hit 11 of their first 12 shots in the half, with Reaves, Doncic and Hachimura all contributing, and briefly built a 10-point cushion. Philadelphia answered late in the period, trimming the margin to 87-84.
James closes it out
With Doncic resting early in the fourth, James shouldered the offense until his co-star returned to lob an alley-oop to Deandre Ayton and score on the next possession. After the 76ers drew level, James converted four consecutive field goals in the final minutes to secure the win.
The Lakers head back to Crypto.com Arena to host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup.
Source: LakersNation.com
