On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to bounce back from an unfortunate loss to the arch-rival Boston Celtics and finish their long road trip on a high note against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Even though it was an off night for Austin Reaves, who finished with a season-low 11 points, Lakers superstars Luka Dončić and LeBron James picked up the slack, combining for 60 points, which was enough to get the best of Tyrese Maxey’s 76ers in Philadelphia.
Lakers’ Dončić Praises James’ Late-Game Heroics
James finishing with a season-high 29 points was a welcome sight for the Lakers, as he looked back to form for the first time during the 2025-26 campaign. Ironically, this comes after his streak of 1,297 games scoring 10 points or more came to an end in the win over the Toronto Raptors earlier in the week.
After the game, Dončić had nothing but high praise for James, whose impressive fourth quarter helped propel the team to its 17th win of the season, via Oh No He Didn’t X account.
Luka on Lebron’s 4th quarter: “That was vintage Bron” pic.twitter.com/YzY8OF8lUA
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 8, 2025
“That was vintage LeBron,” Dončić said. “We’re happy he was there to save us. He had an amazing game. Obviously, an amazing fourth quarter. I think two or three baskets was insanely important for us. He just decided the game.”
Ever since he returned from dealing with sciatica, which kept him sidelined for the first 14 games of this season, James hasn’t looked the same offensively, as it has been a struggle to get back on track in the scoring department.
However, on Sunday, he was a man on a mission as he lit up the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 straight points, which proved to be the difference in the game. James finished with 29 points, going 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists to go along with a steal and a block.
As for Dončić, the Slovenian superstar finished with a triple-double in his first game back following the birth of his daughter. He filled up the stat sheet as per usual, scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with 15 rebounds, tied for his career best in a Lakers uniform, 11 assists, and two blocks.
With another win in the books for the Lakers, the storied franchise’s road trip comes to an end. Dončić and company will now prepare to take on the San Antonio Spurs in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, with hopes of advancing to the next round and playing in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the semifinals.
