Welp, all that for naught. After a heroic late-game comeback, the Los Angeles Lakers lost their first road game of the 2020-21 season in heartbreaking fashion to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

LA fought back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a one-point lead in the final seconds, buoyed by a stunning 13-0 run in the last three minutes. However, their last-gasp effort was thwarted by Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who hit a 16-foot jumper over Alex Caruso with 2.5 seconds remaining to deliver Philly a 107-106 win.

In the previous possession, Anthony Davis gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening frame with a well-executed post-timeout play.

The defeat ended the Lakers' franchise-record 10-game road winning streak to open the season, which threatened mark of 15 set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. The 1970-71 Purple and Gold own the record for road winning streak with 16.

The 76ers moved to 10-1 at home on the season. They also remain undefeated when Embiid suits up.

Both teams entered Wednesday as the top seed in their respective conferences, but the loss dropped the defending champions to 14-5 and percentage points behind the Utah Jazz (13-4) for the top spot in the West.

LeBron James Frustrated Over Joel Embiid's Foul-Drawing Tactics

The potential Finals preview delivered one of the most entertaining and chippiest games of 2021—which should not come as a surprise from two of the league's most physical defenses. From the jump, it was clear that both squads were bringing playoff-caliber effort to the Wells Fargo Center, and that both MVP candidates in Joel Embiid and LeBron James were dialed in.

It was a war of whistles from early on. Embiid and James made a living at the line while alternatively vying for or complaining about fouls throughout the night. JoJo took eight free throws in the first quarter, and the two stars combined to shoot 24 free throws.

Afterward, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said his team got “better as the game went along” at guarding the All-Star center.

“I think our fouling discipline in the second half was far better than in the first half 
 But he's a unique player. 
 He's got a lot of tricks and is shifty and very difficult to defend without fouling,” Vogel said in his post-game presser.

In his pre-game remarks, Vogel specifically cited Embiid's foul-drawing proclivity as a potential concern.

“The discipline you have to play against him to try to slow him down, take away his air space without putting him to the free-throw line,” Vogel said. “A tough challenge but a good test for us.”

James had the same observation about his team's improved discipline as the game wore on.

“The first quarter we put them to the line way too much. 
 It allowed them to get their defense set. 
 besides that, we held them to 21 points in second, 26, and 26, and gave ourselves the opportunity to win at the end 
 I love our fight,” James explained.

LeBron then took a slight dig at Embiid's foul-drawing maneuvers, which the big-man put to expert use in the first half–including two swipe-through attempts while guarded by Caruso.

“We have to do a better job of keeping our hand out of the cookie jar 
 Embiid has Harden-like magic with those swipes.”

LeBron James, Joel Embiid Get Flagrant-1 Fouls

There was nonstop minor physical altercations and near-injuries throughout the heavyweight bout, and things fittingly came to a head in the third quarter. With 5:54 remaining, James pushed Embiid in the stomach as the center elevated towards the rim.

James had no malintent, but his light shove was enough to send Philly's star crashing to the hardwood. The Cameroonian center, who missed the previous game with lower back tightness, scarily slammed onto his backside and remained on the ground for a few seconds before gingerly arising to shoot his three throws.

The play earned James the sixth flagrant foul of his career and first since 2014.

As if not to be outdone by anything his fellow MVP candidate did, Embiid picked up his own flagrant-1 moments later when he elbowed Davis in the head on a drive through the lane.

Both sides were wary of the whistles all night, and there was no shortage of barking at opponents and officials alike. Overall, there were 44 fouls, 51 free throws, four technicals and two flagrant fouls in the testy affair.

“Obviously, it's a physical game, the games you like to get up for,” Marc Gasol said after the game, referring to the challenge of playing Embiid. “A great player that plays old school 
 It's a game that I enjoy playing. Fighting, wrestling on the post 
 I've enjoyed playing against Joel my whole career.”

Embiid grinded out 28 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.

“He doesn't take the passenger's seat anymore — he's in the driver's seat the whole game,” the big Spaniard added.

James followed up his electric 46-point homecoming on Monday with 34 points on 12-of-22 shooting and 8-of-11 from the line. He added six rebounds and six assists.

Embiid and James got solid help from their All-Star runningmates, too. Davis provided 23 points (9-of-18 FG), eight rebounds and two blocks, while Ben Simmons finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

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Harris hit 10-of-16 field goal attempts for 24 points, including the two biggest of the evening.

Former Laker Danny Green—vying to become the first player in NBA history to three-peat with three different franchise and the first player in American major pro sports to win four rings with four different teams—played a major role on both ends and hit four threes.

The Lakers got an overdue boost from Dennis Schröder in the second half, as the German ended his January drought with 16 second-half points. Alex Caruso provided a spark in the late-game comeback, though he was exploited on the final play trying to check Harris.

Lakers vs. Sixers in NBA Finals?

The gritty performance marked the most impressive victory of the season for the Sixers, who have begun to resemble a true contender under Doc Rivers.

“I think it's a really good team that they put together,” James said. “It's gonna be a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference that are gonna play championship-level basketball down the stretch. I know they think they're one of those teams.”

The Lakers were colder than usual from beyond-the-arc (8-0f-24) but hung tough in the paint, outscoring the 76ers 62-50 down low.

When asked about the possibility of matching up with Philly's size in a potential Finals, Davis expressed confidence in the Lakers' roster as constructed.

“I think the lineup we have is fully capable of beating this team in a seven-game series,” Davis said.

Next up: Coming off their most physical game of the season, the Lakers will continue their season-long seven-game road trip with a matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday in the second leg of a back-to-back.