LOS ANGELES — After a series of minor changes, JJ Redick made his most significant adjustment in his last 5½ months of being the Lakers’ coach ahead of Friday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
And it paid off.
After swapping D’Angelo Russell out of the starting lineup for Cam Reddish after the Lakers’ 1-4 road trip, the Lakers beat the 76ers 116-106 at Crypto.com Arena to remain undefeated (4-0) at home.
Anthony Davis, who was back in the Lakers’ lineup after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies because of left plantar fasciitis, led the Lakers with 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
LeBron James finished with 21 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his second triple-double and the 114th of his career.
Austin Reaves had 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds, knocking down 6 of his 10 3-point attempts after shooting 28.9% (11 of 38) on 3s during the trip.
Russell had a strong performance in his new role, scoring 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, (including a pair of 3s), to go with three assists in 25 minutes.
His scoring total tied Dalton Knecht’s 18 points in the blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 30 for the most points scored by a Laker off the bench this season.
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Reddish (three points, five rebounds, one steal and a blocked shot) provided the Lakers with the defensive impact they were looking for when they moved him into the starting lineup, primarily guarding Paul George, who struggled in his third game of the season.
George finished with nine points on 4-of-13 shooting to go with eight assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes.
Jared McCain led the 76ers with 18 points off the bench. Philadelphia was without former MVP Joel Embiid (league suspension) and All-Star Tyrese Maxey (strained right hamstring).
The Lakers will return to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday to host the Toronto Raptors as part of their three-game homestand.