A few months before they would meet in the 1982 NBA Finals, the two sides again engaged in a tense meeting at the Great Western Forum on Feb. 26. In the end, Magic and Kareem led L.A. to a hard-fought double overtime win over the Sixers.

Kareem was in rare form as Philadelphia had no one to guard him, and the big man went on to finish with 41 points and 19 rebounds. Magic, meanwhile, notched a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Lakers also got 24 points from Jamaal Wilkes to win their sixth straight game. Super-sub Andrew Toney led the 76ers with 27 points, while Dr. J finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Lakers and 76ers would meet in NBA Finals again

The two sides would eventually meet in the NBA Finals and once again the Lakers came out on top, defeating the Sixers in six games, just as they did two years prior. It wouldn’t be until the following year, when the 76ers added Hall of Famer Moses Malone, that they would finally get their revenge on the Lakers on the NBA’s grandest stage.

But on this night in Lakers history, it was Magic and Kareem who were once again unstoppable as they kept the Lakers on the path to their second NBA championship of the decade.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Reaves showed no rust in his limited minutes, but he was immediately thrust into a larger role against the Philadelphia 76ers after Luka Doncic was ruled out with lower leg soreness. Without Doncic on the floor, Reaves assumed more offensive responsibility and he delivered in the second half as he led the Lakers’ comeback victory against the 76ers.

Reaves was brilliant offensively, scoring almost at will against the Philadelphia defense but he saved his best for the fourth quarter as he knocked down multiple difficult shots to give the momentum to Los Angeles. Reaves finished the night with a team-high 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line.

After the win, Marcus Smart noted that Reaves’ massive game shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point.

“No, I don’t think these performances surprise anyone, and they shouldn’t,” Smart said. “AR has made a name for himself and he is a big part of his team and we missed him and I think it shows. To come in the way he did and assert himself was something we needed, especially with Luka going down. We’re definitely not surprised and like I said, anybody in this league that is surprised about AR and his ability, it’s a shame.”

Someone like Smart gets to see how much work Reaves puts behind the scenes, so the praise is warranted given how much Los Angeles needed Reaves in the win. The offense will always run through Doncic first, but Reaves has proven that he can handle more of the offensive load when given the opportunity to do so.

Even when sharing the floor with LeBron James, Reaves is turning into a reliable option when the shot clock starts winding down. The star guard can either get to the rim for layups or fouls, but also has a jumper that defenses need to respect.

It’s not going to be surprising when Reaves declines his player option for the 2026-27 season as he’s more than earned a hefty raise from his current deal. Reaves should have a robust market come the summer, so Los Angeles needs to be prepared to hand him a lucrative contract to keep him in the purple and gold.

Austin Reaves didn’t pay attention to Rich Paul’s comments

Rich Paul is one of the few player agents who isn’t afraid to voice an opinion and he drew eyebrows when he suggested that the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves for someone like Jaren Jackson Jr. However, Reaves admitted he didn’t pay attention to Paul’s comments and for good reason as he’s proven the team needs him.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

The first home game after a road trip is often a trap game and it looked that way in the first half as Los Angeles’ offense struggled to find any consistency. Meanwhile, the Lakers had no answer for Joel Embiid who feasted on switches and jumpers to give the 76ers the lead.

To make matters worse, Luka Doncic was forced out of the game near the end of the second quarter due to lower leg soreness. Doncic didn’t quite look like himself when he was on the floor, but seeing him walk back to the locker room was concerning.

Without Doncic, Los Angeles needed a group effort to stage a comeback and the team responded with one of its best overall halves of the 2025-26 season. Although the game came down to the final minute, the Lakers held on for a thrilling 119-115 win.

Austin Reaves made his return from a calf injury on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets, and came off the bench again against Philadelphia. The Lakers needed one of their stars to step up in Doncic’s absence and Reaves answered the call as he was highly efficient scoring from the field.

The 76ers struggled to contain Reaves from the perimeter, but the star guard also torched them with his jumper. Reaves dominated the fourth quarter, knocking down incredibly difficult 3-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the night.

Reaves looked 100 percent healthy in the win, scoring a team-high 35 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists in just 25 minutes.

Maxi Kleber earned a spot in the rotation with Jaxson Hayes serving a one-game suspension and the veteran big man made good on his minutes. Kleber didn’t do much offensively aside from a dunk in transition, but his contributions came outside of the box score as he scrapped to keep possessions alive. He was also solid defensively, actively rotating and challenging shots at the rim.

Kleber had a modest stat line of four points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals but his impact was felt on both ends of the floor.

What’s next for the Lakers

The Lakers will continue their home stand on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors. They’ll then play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.

The Lakers are coming off a successful 5-3 road trip and returned home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. The first game back in L.A. after a long road trip can always be a tricky one, but the Lakers took care of business in this one with a 119-115 comeback victory.

It was a slow start for the Lakers as they made just one of their first six shots and were committing some silly turnovers, allowing the 76ers to jump out to a 20-10 lead and force a timeout by JJ Redick.

L.A. had a nice response out of the timeout as Rui Hachimura came off the bench and hit a triple and then Luka Doncic had a layup and dunk to nearly cut the deficit in half. Both teams went cold to end the first quarter, and the Lakers trailed 27-21 going into the second.

After a LeBron James dunk and an Austin Reaves triple, the Lakers continued to cut into their deficit.

Unfortunately, Doncic appeared to injure his hamstring and immediately went back to the Lakers locker room, missing the rest of the half.

Reaves had a nice offensive stretch with Doncic off the floor, but the Lakers continued to have no answer for Joel Embiid and went into the halftime locker room trailing 59-51.

When the Lakers came out for the third quarter, Doncic was not with them as he was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game. It was a rough start to the second half for L.A. as Philadelphia ripped off six straight points to extend the lead to double digits and force a quick timeout.

Again though, the Lakers had a nice response out of the timeout as Reaves and Hachimura had it going offensively. After a strong close to the third quarter, L.A. cut its deficit to just two at 87-85 going into the fourth.

Reaves beat the shot clock with a triple to begin the final quarter and then hit another one, giving his team their first lead of the night.

From there, the Lakers began to gain some separation as Marcus Smart hit back-to-back triples to put them up 10. Reaves then followed suit with the dagger, securing an impressive comeback victory for L.A. The 76ers tried to make a comeback of their own late, but the Lakers hung on for the win.

In just his second game back from injury, Reaves led the way with 35 points, five rebounds and two assists in just 25 minutes of action.

What’s next for the Lakers…

The Lakers will finish out the first half of the regular season with four more games at home, starting with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Doncic played 16 minutes in the first half, scoring 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and five turnovers on 3-of-10 shooting. He limped back to the locker room towards the end of the second quarter and did not come out for the start of the third, eventually being ruled out for the night.

It remains to be seen just how serious the injury is, but this is obviously not ideal for a Lakers team jockeying for seeding in a loaded Western Conference. The Lakers just finally got healthy for the first time all season with Austin Reaves returning, and now Doncic could be forced to miss some time.

In Doncic’s absence, LeBron James and Reaves would take on primary ball-handling duties while others like Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia would be in the mix as well.

Luckily, the All-Star break is just over a week away, which would give Doncic a week off if he doesn’t compete in the All-Star Game. Unless it’s just a minor injury and he winds up being OK beforehand, the Lakers will certainly express caution with the Slovenian star in the All-Star Game.

LeBron James loves everything about Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has settled into L.A. nicely after the blockbuster trade last year, and a big reason for that has been his co-star LeBron James welcoming him. James recently spoke about his relationship with Doncic and how much he has enjoyed playing with and getting to know him.

“Just trying to lead by example, showing him the way, using my voice, using my example, using everything I can,” James recently said. “He’s now. It’s not like he’s next. He’s right now. I just love the kid. I love everything about him. I just want him to take his journey as far as he wants to go. And I’m happy to be a small part of his journey. Hopefully, he can take something from me.”

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!