Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Lakers

Embiid and Harden return!

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

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As they embark on a week-long west coast trip, tonight the Sixers faced off against a short-handed Los Angeles Lakers team playing without both halves of their superstar duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Here’s what stood out to me tonight:

Pro: A splendid Tobias Harris performance

Tonight, we saw Harris have one of his best, most well-rounded games of the season, posting 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Per the usual, Harris’ impact started with his scoring. But it extended well beyond that.

Defensively, Harris continued his recent stretch of pleasantly-surprising play, as he continues to move his feet well against quicker guards while also having the strength to bang against big-men down low every now and then.

On offense, Harris was also able to impact the game in a way he very rarely does: making plays as a passer. Harris was able to frequently leverage his size advantage into good looks for not just himself, but his teammates as well after creating advantages.

In a game where Harden struggled from the field (we’ll get there next), Harris’ impressive playmaking was vital, and central to this win.

Con: James Harden still struggling from the field

Entering tonight, Harden had played 38.8 minutes per game over his last seven games, and shot just 35 percent from the field during that span. The eye test has matched those numbers, as he’s looked much less explosive and coordinated than usual, while also missing some looks that are usually automatic for him.

Specifically, Harden has struggled to score both with his floater and his step-back three-pointer, possibly the two most prevalent shots in his arsenal.

Tonight we saw another flawed performance from Harden, though he did sustain his playmaking ability when dishing to others. For the Sixers, the hope is that this slump doesn’t last much longer -- and that for however long it does persist, Harden is able to get to the free throw line with consistency to help stop the bleeding, which he was able to do to some extent tonight.

Con: Sixers lack defensive cohesion

For most of this game, the Sixers simply weren’t focused defensively. Dwight Howard was getting whatever he wanted in the paint all night long, while Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony torched the Sixers’ perimeter defenders for most of the game.

Because of the Sixers’ putrid execution on defense, a game that should have turned into a blowout instead became a close contest that went down to the wire. Against the much more talented teams they will face in the playoffs -- and even in the remainder of the regular season -- this kind of defensive effort will not come close to being enough.