The Lakers have had to scramble over the weekend to keep lineups on the floor, but Sunday the gang was (save Marcus Smart) back together. 

Luka Dončić was back from Slovenia, where he was celebrating the birth of his daughter, and LeBron James was back in the lineup after missing Friday's game in Boston. 

They certainly needed both. LeBron had, without question, his most impactful game since returning to the lineup, scoring early and late, hitting 12-17 from the floor, including 4-6 from 3-point range en route to 29 points. He added seven rebounds and six assists. Luka wasn't as efficient as he's been (international flights with a birth of a baby sandwiched in between will do that), but was hardly a bystander, finishing with 31/15/11, and hit the free throws to ice the game at the end. 

Add in a tidy double double (14/12) from Deandre Ayton and three blocks from Jaxson Hayes, and it was enough to cover a brutal shooting effort from Austin Reaves and give the Lakers a 112-108 win against the Sixers to cap the road trip. 

It was a big win, not just because it allows the Lakers to keep pace in the top half of the Western Conference, but also for the effort LeBron put out, and the lift it gave the team both tonight (they needed him badly) and more broadly. Because LeBron's play to this point has certainly been a major concern for Lakers fans. And while one game probably isn't enough to say James is back, it's enough to give people faith that this is what he's building back towards, and that once he's got his legs and timing fully back will look like something similar to the LeBron James we saw last year. 

Great finish to the trip, and now it's back to Cup play as San Antonio (likely still without Victor Wembanyama) Wednesday night. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get big games from LeBron and Luka to win in Philly. 

SEGMENT 2: A bounceback night for James. 

SEGMENT 3: A huge week coming. 

 

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