There was nothing the Lakers needed more than a win on Friday. While it certainly wasn’t a must-win, it was something close to a can’t-lose game.

After a crushing road trip and the benching of D’Angelo Russell heading into the game, things could have really gone south with a loss.

Instead, the Lakers took a very serious approach from the start, put the Sixers down early and, after a small Philly comeback in the second quarter, ended all doubt in the third period.

Now if only the Lakers could play a depleted team at home in every game.

Alas, let’s dive into victory. As always, the numbers are based on each player’s expectations. A “B” grade represents that player’s average performance.

Anthony Davis

36 minutes, 31 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, 11-20 FG, 2-3 3PT, 7-8 FT, +20

The ADMVP candidacy is real and it’s time to shift gears. Yes, this particular game came against an undersized Sixers team, but it was an important game for the Lakers for the reasons stated above.

This is now clearly AD’s team. And boy, is he already making his mark on this season.

Grade: A

Rui Hachimura

33 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-8 FG, 3-6 3PT, -4

It wasn’t a great night from Rui, but it was nice that he made three three-pointers. I’m going to rate him on an even bigger curve because I can’t imagine him being fully healthy again.

He fought underneath it, even though he was woefully underpowered against Andre Drummond. But the willingness to get into the paint and compete under the rim is encouraging.

Grade: B-

Le Bron James

34 minutes, 21 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 blocks, 9-14 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, +12

It was a pretty slow first half for LeBron, but he turned it on in the second half and completely controlled the game. It was one of those “ho-hum” LeBron games where he casually has a 20-point triple-double.

I also thought it was a nice game from him defensively, both on the boards and by denying a few shots.

Quality: A-

Cam Reddish

28 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3PT, -6

All things considered, this is a very Cam Reddish game. He was good defensively, knocked down a three-pointer, and the Lakers were worse with him on the floor.

In all honesty, on that last point, I think there are other things he does well outside of his defense. For example, he is better than most other Lakers guards at rebounding.

Cam is a useful player if he stays healthy and hits three-pointers. He hasn’t done any of these things consistently in his career.

This feels like a temporary spot in the starting lineup for Jarred Vanderbilt. Or D’Angelo Russell, if he starts shooting again.

Grade: B

Austin Reaves

30 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 7-13 FG, 6-10 3PT, +14

It was very nice to see Reaves, who started the match 6-29 from distance in his last four matches, finding his form from distance again. The challenge for him now should be consistency. Less alternating good and bad stretches and instead just some regular good three-point shooting.

Grade: A

Jaxson Hayes

16 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3-4 FG, 2-2 FT, +0

Only Hayes could somehow manage more blocks than rebounds as a center. But I won’t discredit him too much, because I’ll gladly take a four-block gig from him whenever I can get it.

The two big lineups for the Lakers also had a lot of success today.

Grade: B

D’Angelo Russell

25 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-12 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-3 FT, +13

A great response to being benched is to put together probably your best game of the season. It wasn’t even a night he caught fire from a distance either. It was his attack at the rim that was the most pleasant surprise.

Is that sustainable? Probably not. Most of his finishes on Friday were unorthodox to say the least.

Grade: A

Gabe Vincent

16 minutes, 2 points, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, +4

What else can be said about Vincent at this point? If his role doesn’t change, and it doesn’t seem that way, then he won’t be more productive.

I understand the idea of ​​splitting D’Lo and Reaves and using a more defensive guard. I actually think you could have made an argument for starting Vincent and using him more on the ball, as our own Darius Soriano argued.

But if this is all you get from Vincent, then JJ Redick should probably just play Max Christie, who has more potential.

Grade: D

Dalton Knecht

16 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1-8 FG, 0-5 3PT, +17

Maybe I gave him a lot of benefit of the doubt, but I actually wasn’t that discouraged by Knecht on Friday. He did a lot of things well offensively other than making the shots. And if there’s one aspect of his game that doesn’t worry me about Knecht’s game, it’s his shot making.

Grade: C+

JJ Redick

Benching D’Angelo Russell was a brave decision, but one that paid off in the short term. Is it sustainable in the long term? Time will tell.

You also can’t give him enough credit for creating an offense that has AD putting up MVP numbers.

Quality: A-

Friday’s inactives: Quincy Olivari, Armel Traore, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.