The Los Angeles Lakers’ record-breaking winning streak on the road ended as the Philadelphia 76ers earned a thrilling 107-106 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
In a fixture that saw the Eastern Conference leaders face their Western Conference counterparts, Joel Embiid’s 28 points edged the 76ers to the win.
It ended the NBA champions’ run of 10 wins on the road, a franchise record.
“Some people think we haven’t played anybody,” 76ers Tobias Harris said. “We wanted to go against the champs.”
“We wanted to see where we’re at,” Harris added.
LeBron James scored a game-high 34 points for the Lakers, who trailed by 14 points in the final quarter but rallied to fall to defeat by a single point.
The result keeps the 76ers top of the Eastern Conference with 13 wins and six defeats, while the Lakers fall to second in the West as the Utah Jazz move top after a 116-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Jordan Clarkson scored 31 points as Utah notched a 10th-consecutive win.
‘Big three’ earn third win in a row
The Brooklyn Nets called on their ‘big three’ as Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving starred in a 132-128 overtime-win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Durant scored 32 points, Harden managed 31 points and 15 assists, and Irving scored 26 points of his own as the Nets moved fourth in the Eastern Conference with a third win in a row.
Two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Milwaukee Bucks 24 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as they overcame the Toronto Raptors to sit second in the East behind the 76ers.
The Indiana Pacers are third in the East after a 116-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets and the Denver Nuggets sit forth in the West after moving to five straight wins with an impressive 109-82 victory over the Miami Heat.
Elsewhere, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson scored 32 points each as the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 47-point performance by Bradley Beal to defeat the Washington Wizards 124-106.
Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half to win 102-97 at the Phoenix Suns, while rookie James Wiseman scored a season-best 25 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-111.
In other results on a busy Wednesday night across the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Detroit Pistons 122-107, all five Sacramento Kings starters scored double figures as they beat the Orlando Magic 121-107, and the San Antonio Spurs edged to a thrilling 110-106 victory over the Boston Celtics.
