BY: LEO BATO – SPORTS ON AIR USA CORRESPONDENT
11-08-2024
LOS ANGELES — Without the suspended Joel Embidd and an injured Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia 78ers put up a gallant fight led by a spirited effort from rookie Jared McCain.
But in the end, the Los Angeles Lakers proved too much, too deep as the purple-and-gold franchise used a 68-point first half to claim a 116-106 in front of a crowd of 18,485 at the Crypto.com Arena.
Anthony Davis had a dominant 31 points and 9 rebounds but LeBron James stole the limelight with his 144th career triple-double. The King scattered 21 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
McCain, the prized freshman out of blue-chip program Duke University, carried the load for Philly with 18 points while Guerschon Yabusele added 14 points and five rebounds, but the Sixers shot just 40.6 percent from the field (39-of-96) and couldn’t climb out of a 19-point deficit.
Even as the Sixers stumble out of the gates early this season, though, McCain is having the time of his life.
“I feel like I say it every single game. Every game is like a dream come true. Obviously, we’re trying to win every game and every possession. We’re trying to get a stop. But I always look back five years ago what I would have thought about how I’m feeling now. It’s insane.
“I’m on the Philadelphia 76ers, I’m in the NBA and I’m in a possession guarding LeBron James. If I would have told that to you my freshman year, high school self, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s just crazy to even be in this position,” McCain said in his post-gamepress conference.
As they say, the NBA is where dreams are made and legends are born.
