Tyrese Maxey’s 27 points not enough as Lakers pull away from Sixers, 101-94

LOS ANGELES — Nick Nurse removed his game-day glasses as he paced the sideline in frustration, while Kyle Lowry shook his head in irritation.

The 76ers had blown an opportunity to get within one point or a tie in the waning minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers, when a pass from Tobias Harris intended for Lowry went awry and out of bounds with 3 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.

Then the Lakers’ superstars went to work. Anthony Davis powered past Mo Bamba for an old-fashioned three-point play. LeBron James followed with a three-pointer. And Davis blocked Tyrese Maxey’s shot at the rim. That all allowed the Lakers to create enough separation in a 101-94 victory Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, in another offensively challenged outing when the Sixers shot 34.4% from the floor.

The Sixers (38-32) also missed an opportunity to move up in the tightly contested Eastern Conference standings. The seventh-place Miami Heat (who hold the same record as the Sixers but have the head-to-head tiebreaker) lost Friday to the New Orleans Pelicans. The sixth-place Indiana Pacers, meanwhile, topped the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

» READ MORE: Tobias Harris will return to Sixers’ lineup against the Lakers

The Lakers prevailed on a night when neither team led by more than seven points until the home team’s final charge. The Lakers also survived a fourth-quarter burst by Maxey, who scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.

Though the Sixers slogged through another poor shooting night, they hung around thanks to their aggressive defense. They parlayed 21 Lakers turnovers into 27 points, a significant portion of their 20 fastbreak points.

Maxey’s fourth-quarter surge came after he missed five of his first seven shots in the first half. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting and six rebounds. Tobias Harris finished with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting and 13 rebounds in his return from a sprained ankle.

Davis totaled 23 points, 19 rebounds, and four assists, while James added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Sixers led, 52-50, at halftime. Both teams shot under 40% from the floor in the first half, after Oubre followed an emphatic dunk by James with his own slam. The lead stretched to 65-59 on a Bamba three-pointer followed by an Oubre free throw midway through the third quarter, and the Sixers were up, 76-75, heading into the final frame.

Up next for the Sixers is a Sunday-afternoon matchup at the Los Angeles Clippers, in James Harden’s first game against his former team. They will wrap up a four-game trip with a Monday showdown at the Sacramento Kings.