3 observations after Sixers lost to Lakers, ends winless West Coast trip originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ fruitless West Coast trip ended Friday night in Los Angeles.

They go home at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

With a 116-106 loss to the Lakers, the Sixers fell to 1-7. Los Angeles moved to 5-4.

Anthony Davis recorded 31 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. LeBron James recorded a 21-point triple-double and Austin Reaves had a 20-point, seven-assist performance.

The Sixers’ leading scorer was rookie Jared McCain with 18 points.

The team was behind All-Stars Joel Embiid (suspension) and Tyrese Maxey (right hamstring injury). Paul George, limited to 25 minutes in his third game since returning from a left knee contusion, had nine points on 4-for-13 shooting and eight assists.

The Sixers host the Hornets on Sunday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Lakers:

The nurse turns to the unit sitting alone on the couch

Kyle Lowry opened the game in Maxey’s usual spot, hitting a three-pointer for the Sixers’ first points.

However, the Sixers’ starters didn’t have much success on either end of the floor. The Lakers started 5 for 6 from three-point range and took a 21-10 lead on a Cam Reddish triple. That prompted Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout and play some unconventional lineups.

KJ Martin gave the Sixers a much-needed jolt. In addition to being dangerous and lively in the open floor, Martin improved to 2 for 2 from three-point territory this season.

Reggie Jackson and Ricky Council IV came on with about four minutes left in the first quarter. Nurse closed the first period and started the second period with a full lineup, indicating that he was very dissatisfied with the first period of his starters and that he liked the energy and production of players like Martin and Guerschon Yabusele (14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, five rebounds). Yabusele’s stock certainly rose during the Sixers’ 0-3 trip.

Eric Gordon was not in Nurse’s 10-man rotation. He had a poor game in the Sixers’ loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night, going scoreless and scoring four goals in his seventeen minutes. The Sixers clearly don’t have a reliably effective play or rotation style without Embiid, so it made sense for Nurse to shake things up a bit.

Take a good look at McCain

McCain missed his first four field goals, but kept shooting.

He hit back-to-back wing threes in the second quarter as the Sixers continued to take the Lakers’ early lead.

McCain played his most minutes yet on Friday, with 31 minutes. Along with his confidence, he may be able to benefit a bit from his unpredictability during this Maxey-less stretch. While he’s still learning what’s efficient for him as a pro, McCain often varies his pace and attacks from different angles as a driver and finisher. There’s barely any NBA tape on him either, although Lakers head coach JJ Redick certainly knows all about the fellow Duke product’s game.

The Sixers’ bench played well for the most part on Friday. And while Davis, Reaves and James scored big, the Sixers showed better discipline and focus than in recent games. They gave up just three turnovers and three free throws in the first half. Two foul shots by Lowry gave the Sixers a 57-55 lead late in the second quarter.

Another double-digit defeat

The Lakers held a 68-60 lead at halftime thanks to an 8-0 spurt late in the second quarter.

Once again, the Sixers’ starters weren’t playing inspired basketball to start the third quarter. George had a rough stretch against James, missing short jumpers and allowing layups for the 20-time All-Star.

George (0 for 6), Kelly Oubre Jr. (0 for 4) and Lowry (1 for 6) all had down games from three-point range. Jackson went 1 for 6 from the field and had several very wayward misses.

Meanwhile, Caleb Martin’s shooting percentages skyrocketed. Through seven games, Martin had made just 33.8 percent of his field goals and 20 percent of his threes, and his shooting motion was awkwardly multi-segmented at times. He fared much better against the Lakers, going 5 for 6 from the field and 3 for 4 from three-point range.

While Martin’s shot in form is remarkable, the Sixers have few reassuring silver linings at the moment. Friday’s match was far from in doubt in the final minutes.

Eight games later, the Sixers have five double-digit losses, one (overtime) win and two All-Stars out.