The Philadelphia 76ers handed LeBron James the biggest defeat of his career as they routed the Los Angeles Lakers by 44 points.
The Sixers, led by MVP Joel Embiid, thrashed the Lakers 138-94. The Sixers superstar finished with a 30-point triple, while James had 18 points in 30 minutes.
Coincidentally, James had surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in minutes played in the NBA regular season and postseason. The four-time NBA champion now has played 66,319 minutes in his career.
Lakers starters were pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter, with the 76ers leading by 27. The Los Angeles franchise are now a dismal 3-6 on the road but remain 10-8 overall this season.
The Sixers scored 40 points in the fourth quarter, while the Lakers scored just 14. The hosts were on fire as they made 22 threes (47.8%), while the Lakers made seven of their 25 attempts from deep.
LeBron James reacts to worst loss
Speaking after the game, James said his team needs to improve in many aspects after a chastening defeat.
"What needs to change in order for that not to happen again? Um, a lot," he admitted, via ESPN.
The Lakers were without Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, and Gabe Vincent, who are still recovering from injury, per NBC Sports. The Lakers are eighth in the Western Conference.
According to AP, James has also lost by 36 points and 42 points in his career before.
LeBron receives standing ovation
Sports Brief earlier reported on James receiving a standing ovation from fans in his return to Cleveland with the Lakers.
Moments before the game, fans loudly cheered James, who returned the favour by applauding every corner of the arena.
James finished with 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including 1-of-9 from deep, and spoke about his return after the game.
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