The Los Angeles Lakers took some much-needed time off and then played again on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were missing their current MVP, Joel Embiid.

At this point in the season, every game for the Lakers is very important. Even though it wasn’t pretty, they beat the 76ers 99–94.

Rui Hachimura scored the first four points of the game and then made a three-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 7-3.

The 76ers worked hard on the offensive glass to get back into the game, but Anthony Davis kept going inside.

Around the middle of the first quarter, D’Angelo Russell made back-to-back three-pointers. The first one broke Nick Van Exel’s record for the most 3-pointers ever scored by a Celtic. But the Lakers had a narrow 24-23 lead at the end of the first quarter, which was mostly defense.

The first thing that showed how well LeBron James and Jaxson Hayes got along was when James found Hayes for a dunk. Then the opposite happened.

Both teams were still having trouble, though, because they weren’t paying attention to the ball. After a slow start, Tobias Harris scored five straight points to tie the game at 43.

James and Kelly Oubre Jr. traded huge dunks at the end of the half, giving the 76ers a 52–50 lead going into the locker room.

On his first try from deep in the third quarter, Austin Reaves made a basket after not making one from the field in the first half. The Lakers kept playing badly, though, and Mo Bamba made a bucket from deep to give the 76ers a six-point lead.

After that, Spencer Dinwiddie and Reaves made back-to-back threes, which gave the Lakers a boost. He then made another shot, and it was his best scoring game as a Laker. But the 76ers still had a 76-75 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Davis made a basket inside to start the fourth, giving the Lakers their first lead of the second half back. From there on out, both teams were playing rough, and the refs let it happen.

Eventually, the Lakers started to pull away. James and Davis scored back-to-back baskets to put the Lakers up five. After Davis made a three-point play, James made a three-pointer, and the game was over.