LeBron James Surpasses NBA All-Time Minutes Record in Career-Worst Loss

During the Los Angeles Lakers' 138-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leader in minutes played. Combining regular-season and postseason games, James has now accumulated 66,319 minutes in his career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's previous record of 66,297 minutes.

Despite achieving this milestone, the game itself was a disappointment for James and the Lakers. During his 30 minutes on the court, the Sixers outscored the Lakers by 30 points. The 44-point loss marked the largest margin of defeat in James' 21-year career and tied for the fifth-largest loss in Lakers history.

When asked about his new minutes record, James expressed that it didn't hold much significance to him. Instead, he focused on the pressing issue of the devastating loss and the need for the team to make improvements.

The Lakers fell behind early in the game, trailing 32-19 at the end of the first quarter, which put them in a familiar position of having to play catch-up for the remainder of the contest.

"Feel like we just weren't together," Lakers big man Anthony Davis said. "A lot of quick shots, one-pass shots, no-pass shots. They started making a lot of shots. And when their lead kind of opened up a little bit -- 15, 20, 25 -- I think we all tried to be the hero to make the team come back instead of just sticking with it."

The Sixers made a season-best 22 3-pointers on 46 attempts (47.8%). L.A., meanwhile, was just 7-for-25 (25%) from deep.

LeBron James was forthright in his assessment of the Lakers' loss, stating, "We got killed on the 3-point line today." Guard Austin Reaves added a colorful description, emphasizing that the opposing team made a lot of 3-point shots while the Lakers didn't, resulting in them being beaten badly. Reaves suggested that the team should review the game footage to learn from their mistakes.

Anthony Davis echoed the sentiment, mentioning the need for a comprehensive film session to analyze the loss. He emphasized the importance of embracing the film session as a learning opportunity and not taking any critiques personally. Davis acknowledged that previous film sessions under former coach Frank Vogel could sometimes be intense if players perceived the instructions as personal attacks.

The Philadelphia 76ers were led by Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP, who recorded a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Additionally, fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey contributed 31 points and eight assists to Philadelphia's victory.

Despite the Lakers missing key players due to injuries, including Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Rui Hachimura, the team acknowledged that their performance against the 76ers was far from satisfactory. They recognized that the effort put forth was not up to the standard expected of a team with championship aspirations.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham acknowledged that both the Sixers and the Lakers have championship aspirations, but emphasized the need for the Lakers to elevate their competitive spirit in the short term.

When asked how a team should respond to a blowout loss like the one suffered against Philadelphia, LeBron James shared a personal sentiment rather than offering specific instructions. He admitted that he personally dislikes such outcomes, highlighting the disappointment and frustration that comes with a significant defeat.