How LeBron James has dominated the Sixers compared to everyone else | Off the Dribble

There is always more excitement when LeBron James comes to town, as he does Wednesday when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the 76ers.

Over the years, James has had his way with the Sixers, but then again, he has had it with every other team as well. At 36, he is still going strong, and with him leading the defending NBA champions into town, it will be a major test for the Sixers, resulting in a playoff-type atmosphere, minus the fans.

James is listed as questionable on the injury report with a left ankle sprain, so that will be something that will be watched closely.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

What has made James so great is that he has consistently torched every NBA team. During his career, his lowest scoring average against a team is 23.9 points against the Detroit Pistons, according to basketball-reference.com. His highest is 29.3 against one of his former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers. That number was boosted by his 46-point effort in Monday’s 115-108 win at Cleveland.

Here is how James has done in his career against the Sixers: 51 G, 27.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg., 8.0 apg.

Look how closely those stats align with his career numbers: 27.0 ppg., 7.4 rpg. 7.4 apg.

Since he has been with the Lakers, here are his stats against the Sixers:

March 3, 2020: 120-107 W. 22 pts., 7 reb., 14 A, 3 TO, 9-16 FG, 2-5 3-pt, 2-3 FT

Jan. 25, 2020: 108-91 L. 29 pts., 7 reb., 8 A, 8 TO, 9-18 FG, 1-6 3-pt. 10-13 FT

Feb. 10, 2019: 143-120 L. 18 pts., 10 reb., 9 A, 4 TO, 8-16 FG, 2-6 3-pt, 0-0 FT

Jan. 29, 2019: inactive

James, 36, is playing the fewest minutes in his career and is still having an MVP-type season. He is averaging 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 32.2 minutes.

He is averaging 36.9 points per 100 possessions. That is his highest total since averaging 37.9 points per 100 possessions during his final year in Miami, 2013-14. His 11.6 rebounds per 100 possessions would be the highest of his career.

He couldn’t be hotter entering Wednesday’s game. In scoring 46 points on Monday in his home state, James saved his best for last. In the fourth quarter, he shot 9-for-10, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, for 21 points.

The Sixers will attempt to end what has been a dominating showing on the road for the Lakers. Los Angeles is 14-4 overall, 4-4 at home and 10-0 on the road.

The Sixers are 9-1 at home, losing only by 115-103 to the Denver Nuggets when they dressed only eight players and had just seven available because of injury and health and safety protocols.

As for the Lakers, they are six wins shy of tying the all-time NBA record for most consecutive road victories. The record is 16, set by the 1971-72 Lakers, who won the NBA title and finished with a 69-13 record. That team included Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, who averaged a team-high 25.9 points.

Here are the most consecutive road wins, courtesy of basketball-reference.com:

16 Los Angeles Lakers Nov, 6 1971-Jan. 7, 1972

15 Utah Jazz Nov. 27-1994 — Jan. 26, 1995

14 Boston Celtics Feb. 25 1961 — Dec. 17, 1961

14 Miami Heat Nov. 19, 1996 — Dec. 29, 1995

14 Golden State Warriors Oct. 30, 2015 — Dec. 11, 2015

14 San Antonio Spurs Apr. 13, 2015 — Dec. 6, 2015

14 Golden State Warriors Nov. 29, 2017 — Jan. 17, 2018

14 Los Angeles Lakers Nov. 1, 2019, Dec. 15, 2019

Here are the most consecutive road wins to start a season:

14 Golden State Warriors Oct. 30, 2015 — Dec. 11, 2015

13 San Antonio Spurs Oct. 25, 2016 — Dec. 6, 2016

12 New York Knicks Oct. 15, 1969 — Dec. 10 1969

Wednesday: Los Angeles Lakers at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN

Friday: Sixers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m., Target Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sunday: Sixers at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m., Bankers Life Fieldhouse, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

Feb. 3: Sixers at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m., Spectrum Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Feb. 4: Portland Trail Blazers at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Question: I came up with this trade proposal, what do you think? Warriors get Ben, Terrance Ferguson (expiring contract), Danny Green (expiring contract), Mike Scott (expiring contract) and a first round pick. The Sixers get Stephen Curry, Draymond Green. — Leonard Fronczak via email

Answer: Thanks for the question, Leonard. I see you put a lot of thought into this, because when you place these names in ESPN’s trade machine, the deal works.

My initial reaction is that the Warriors wouldn’t do it. Yes, they would get four more seasons of Simmons after this year and he is just 24. They would be freeing up plenty of salary. Curry has only one year left on his contract after this year, but Draymond Green has three more seasons after this one, with the final one a player option worth $27.58 million, according to Hoopshype.com salaries.

That said, Curry is a proven scorer whom I feel Golden State will try to make a Warrior for life. Curry will be 33 in March, but as he has shown this year (28.4 ppg.), he remains one of the great offensive forces in the NBA. If they traded him, the Warriors would really be hurting for offense.

I think the Sixers would consider this, but I don’t think Golden State would.