Lakers vs. 76ers at a glance

Los Angeles Lakers vs. 76ers at a Glance

TEAMS: Lakers (10-18) vs. Sixers (6-19)

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE:  Wells Fargo Center

BROADCASTS: TV – ESPN RADIO – 97.5 FM

SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE:  TWITTER – @PompeyOnSixers, INSTAGRAM – PompeyOnSixers

411 ON LAKERS:  The Lakers were the NBA's biggest surprise at the start of the season. However, losers of eight straight, it appears they've settled into the rebuilding squad we expected them to always be. Los Angeles has lost its last two games – at the Sacramento Kings and at the Brooklyn Nets – by an average of 17 points.  But they're only a 1 ½ underdog to the Sixers.

Part of that could be attributed to the Sixers being tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the league's worst record. Another part of that could have something to do with the play of former Sixer Lou Williams. The reserve guard leads the Lakers in scoring at 19.2 points per game.

He has scored in double-figures in 26 of his team's 28 games. Williams has also led the team in scoring 17 times and has scored 30 or more points three times and tallied 40 points in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 3.  He followed up that performance with a 38-point effort against the Utah Jazz two nights later.

With him leading the way, the Lakers lead the league in bench scoring at 52.1 points per game.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Lakers (10-18)

9 Loul Deng F 6-9 7.6 ppg. 5.3 rpg.

30 Julius Randle PF 6-9 12.4 ppg 8.9 rpg.

20 Timofey Mozgov C 7-1 8.5 ppg. 5.0 rpg.

0 Nick Young G 6-7  13.2 ppg. 2.5 rpg.

1 D'Angelo Russell  G 6-5  15.0 ppg. 4.6 apg.

Coach: Luke Walton (first season, 10-18)

Injury report:  Tarik Black (sprained right ankle, out), Jose Calderon (right hamstring strain, out), Randle (right hip pointer, probable), Russell (sore left knee, probable).

SIXERS (6-19)

33 Robert Covington G/F 6-9  9.5 ppg. 1.8 spg.

21 Joel Embiid PF 7-2 17.6 ppg. 2.5 bpg

8 Jahlil Okafor C 6-11 11.6 ppg. 1.2 bpg.

12 Gerald Henderson G 6-5  9.6 ppg. 1.5 apg.

14 Sergio Rodriguez PG 6-3 9.0 ppg. 6.7 apg.

Coach: Brett Brown (Fourth season, 53-218)

Injury report: Ben Simmons (right foot fracture, out), Nerlens Noel (sprained left ankle, questionable), Jerryd Bayless, (left wrist ligament tear, out), Embiid (left knee contusion, probable), Dario Saric (right shin contusion, probable).

THE SERIES

The Lakers own a 143-122 series advantage. They won three of the last four  meetings.

LAST SERIES MEETING: The Lakers broke the game open with a 15-2 fourth-quarter run that propelled them to a 93-84 victory at the Staples Center on Jan. 1. The run ended with the Lakers up, 88-72, after a Williams'

turnaround jumper with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left.

Williams had a lot to do with the outcome. Twelve of his game-high 24 points came in the fourth quarter. Williams made 10 of 12 foul shots. He also had five assists, four rebounds and a blocked shot.

Noel led the Sixers with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists and 3 steals. Okafor and McConnell added 12 points apiece.

The Sixers made just 4 of 24 three-point attempts. Philly's starting backcourt of Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan struggled to make shots from anywhere on the court.

UPCOMING GAMES

Sunday: 6 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Brooklyn Nets vs. Sixers

Tuesday: 7 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, New Orleans Pelican vs. Sixers

Dec 23: 9 p.m., at Talking Stick Arena, Sixers vs. Phoenix Suns

Dec. 26: 10:30 p.m., at Golden 1 Center, Sixers vs. Sacramento Kings

Dec. 29: 9 p.m., at EnergySolutions Arena, Sixers vs. Utah Jazz

Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.