The Philadelphia 76ers had their biggest test of the season on Wednesday, and they passed. They faced their toughest opponent by far in the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and despite blowing their lead late in the fourth quarter as their offense struggled, the Sixers held on to win, 107-106.
The Sixers won’t be playing the NBA’s best defense every night, but that late-game offense against top teams will need work. It was ultimately a great win, though. Philly displayed some quality defense; Ben Simmons was more aggressive again and tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists; and winning with Joel Embiid not quite at his best (28 points and 6 rebounds with 8-of-18 shooting) makes the victory even more impressive.