Sixers vs Lakers takeaways: Winning another close game; LeBron James’ historic performance

LOS ANGELES – The 76ers are executing down the stretch of games, right now.

LeBron James is nowhere close to slowing down. And Tyrese Maxey is a winner, even if he’s not starting.

These three things stood out during Sunday’s 113-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena.

There was a time when even faithful fans knew the Sixers were destined to lose close games. And it wasn’t that long ago.

Now, they can’t lose them.

The Sixers (27-16) posted a one-point victory for the second consecutive night. It also marked their fifh straight win in a game decided by three points or less. This comes after they lost their first three games this season that were decided by the same amount of points.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s 35 points, Georges Niang’s block lead Sixers to 113-112 victory over Lakers

Maxey thinks these types of performances can help the Sixers in the postseason.

“The playoffs are boiled down to single-possession games,” he said. “The last two games we had to get stops, and we had to get crucial baskets. I think we executed on both ends on both occasions.”

On Sunday, the game wasn’t decided until Georges Niang blocked Russell Westbrook’s layup with 3.1 seconds remaining and Joel Embiid grabbed the rebound.

“It’s not always going to be [that we’re] able to go out there and blow out a team by 20 or win comfortably,” Maxey said. “This is the NBA. A lot of guys are really, really good at basketball. They have a lot of pride, and they don’t want to lose.

“This is another good win for us, and a good experience for the playoffs.”

The three-time MVP was the most dominant player on the court, scoring 35 points to go with eight rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and a block in 35 minutes.

Not the type of stat-line one would expect from a 38-year-old in his 20th NBA season.

But this marked his 16th game this season with at least 30 points. It was also his 13th double-double. And he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in NBA history to surpass 38,000 career points. He has 38,024.

“Bron, he’s really, really good at basketball,” Maxey said, “and he’s really, really good at taking care of his body. Those two things, when you do that, the longevity of your career will be special, and he’s showing us that right now. And he’s still running up the court, catching lobs. He’s still a problem for defenses in this league and you still see it.”

A demotion is still a demotion no matter how the Sixers try to spin things.

The fact remains that the Sixers’ starting backcourt of James Harden and Maxey was a defensive liability. So it wasn’t surprising to see De’Anthony Melton start in place of Maxey at shooting guard against the Lakers.

But one has to commend Maxey for his handling of the situation.

Coach Doc Rivers said that Maxey actually texted him about making the switch.

“It’s rare,” Rivers said. “But Tyrese, he knows he is going to play 30 minutes. He knows he’s going to get his minutes, regardless.

“You know what we tell everybody, ‘I’d rather be in at the end of the game than the beginning of the game.’ And that’s the lineups we will really have to have great focus on.”

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid and James Harden pairing finally ‘working very well’ for the Sixers

However, there’s a status that comes with being a starter. And having three starting lineups is the result of having one that’s not getting the job done.

“You have to be a professional at the end of the day,” Maxey said. “If that’s what they feel like that’s the best option for the team, then you have to accept that. You have to go out there and be the start in whatever role they give you.”

Best performance: This goes to James in a losing effort.

Worst performance: I had to give this to P.J. Tucker. The Sixers power forward scored three points while failing to grab a rebound or dish out an assist. He was a game-worst minus-16 in 24 minutes, 6 seconds.

Best defensive performance: This is a tough one, but I gave it to Wenyen Gabriel. The Lakers reserve forward blocked two shots while being active on the defensive end.

Worst statistic: I had to give this to Melton’s failure to score. He was inserted in the starting lineup of Maxey for his defense. However, he had to provide some type of offense to justify the move. But he missed his three shot attempts.

Best statistic: This goes to the Lakers scoring 70 points in the paint.

Best of the Best: Sunday’s victory moved the Sixers into a third-pace tie with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.

Worst of the Worst: This goes to Russell Westbrook’s decision to shoot the ball on the final possession instead to passing to a red-hot James. Westbrook had a solid game, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. But James couldn’t be stopped and needed to take that last shot.