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LeBron James and the Lakers had a field day amid Friday's busy slate after the Warriors' 123-111 loss to the Pacers was followed by their 101-94 win over the 76ers.
The ninth-placed Lakers and 10th-placed Warriors are fighting to climb up the standings. They entered Friday's respective home games with the same number of losses (32), but the Warriors have one more.
Golden State is now further away from the chance to move up into sixth, seventh, eighth or even ninth, with the most losses among the top-10 teams. The Warriors are closer to the Houston Rockets in 11th, holding only a two-game advantage.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are three games behind the sixth and seventh seed and two behind the eighth seed.
LA Lakers fans were ecstatic with how LeBron James and Co. capitalized on the Golden State Warriors loss keeping the playoffs picture in mind. One Lakers fan on "X," formerly Twitter, jokingly wrote:
"World is healing"
More reactions followed:
LeBron James and Lakers hold off Sixers after three close quarters
LeBron James and the LA Lakers seemed rusty after playing only for the third time in eight days on Friday. The Lakers didn't have much rhythm, and their 21 turnovers reflected that, but the conserved energy and fresh legs allowed LA to withstand the Sixers' intensity.
The Lakers didn't have many shots falling, but their defensive effort remained in place for the better part of the contest, allowing them to overcome their offensive struggles. They held the Sixers to 34.4% shooting, including 8-of-37 from the 3. The Lakers outrebounded their counterparts 54-42.
The offense took one half to return to its usual pace as LA shot 51.5%, including 6-of-14 from 3 in the second half. LeBron James found his stroke, going 5-of-8. He was 2-for-7 from the floor in the opening two quarters.
LeBron finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists while committing game-high eight turnovers. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis finished with 29 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks on 62.5% shooting against a Joel Embiid-less Sixers' frontline. The Lakers top six players, including Spencer Dinwiddie, tallied 10+ points.
Lakers defense improving steadily
The Lakers' defense has been among the bottom three in the NBA since the All-Star break. They've relied on their offense amid this stretch, which ranks sixth. Over the last five games, the Lakers have held their opponents to 107.2 points per game.
They held an opponent to under 100 points for the first time since their 133-89 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 7.
