A series of mistakes by the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest stars prompted a sharp halftime rebuke from a team legend, overshadowing their eventual 119-115 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Their starters struggled early, and they relied on the bench to get them going later. During halftime, a seven-time champion looked at the numbers, which reflected a season-long pattern with LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

“You can’t have these superstars having nine turnovers between them,” Robert Horry said during the halftime break on Spectrum Sportsnet. “Luka and LeBron together have nine turnovers. That’s a game. And that’s just the first half. And for me, that’s caused by not paying attention to detail.”

James had as many points as he did turnovers with four, and Doncic had 10 points and five turnovers before he exited the game with a reported hamstring injury.

Horry also spoke about the opposition. Joel Embiid has been on a tear lately and sat out the 76ers’ previous game, now fully rested and ready to take on the Lakers. However, recently named All-Star starter Tyrese Maxey struggled in the first half, and Horry pointed to that as a reason the Lakers could bounce back.

“Hopefully he stays that way,” the Lakers legend said, referring to Maxey’s poor outing. “We’re able to cut out the turnovers, and we’ll be more effective in the second half.”

This was a clear directive to both James and Doncic. The latter, who is the more dominant ball-handler of the two, is a high-turnover player, averaging over four per game this year while ranking in the 52nd percentile in turnover percentage. James is doing better as a passer, especially since he’s moved to a primarily off-ball role, averaging 2.8 turnovers, but falling to 43rd percentile in turnover percentage.

For now, the Lakers eked out the win, but this isn’t sustainable.

Austin Reaves ignites Lakers’ fourth-quarter comeback as Luka Doncic exits early

The Lakers spent most of last night chasing the lead, trailing by double digits in the first half before losing Luka Doncic to left leg soreness. Turnovers plagued the team, a pattern that has become a recurring theme for them this season. They rank in the bottom half of the league in turnovers at 14.8 per game, and they recorded their second-highest mark of the season with 22.

It took until the first minute of the fourth quarter to take their first lead. What followed, however, was a complete shift in tone, starting with Austin Reaves.

Reaves, who recently returned from injury, came off the bench, igniting an 8-0 run by burying a 32-foot shot to beat the clock. With Doncic down, James locked in harder on a playmaking role, steadying the offense as his team clawed back from an 11-point hole against the tumbling 76ers, for whom Embiid led the charge with 35 points in a dominant performance.

Reaves matched Embiid’s high with 35 points off the bench on a 25-minute restriction, capping a 13-4 run to push the Lakers into a double-digit lead. The 76ers had one last surge, cutting it to a three-point game in the final minute, but Rui Hachimura sealed the game with a dunk in the last seconds.