LOS ANGELES — The signs of a Lakers team that is close to fully healthy were falling into place.

LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were on the court at the same time, playing in only their 10th game together during a season in which all three have struggled with significant injuries.

It’s exactly what Lakers coach JJ Redick had been waiting for. With his team 11 games above .500 going into an eight-game homestand, the Lakers have an opportunity to make a move in the tightly packed Western Conference standings behind their star trio. Reaves, despite still playing on a minutes restriction in his second game back following a 5½-week absence because of a calf strain, came off the bench to provide offensive firepower from the outset Thursday.

Everything looked promising until Doncic limped. And stopped. He turned to grab his left hamstring late in the first half of the Lakers’ 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. After turning the ball over with just over three minutes left in the second quarter, Doncic – the NBA’s leading scorer (33.4 points per game) – walked to the locker room and didn’t return in the second half due to what Redick said was left hamstring soreness.

“He didn’t feel like it was good enough to go back in [to the game],” Redick said of the Slovenian superstar, who also averages 8.7 assists (second in the league) and 7.9 rebounds per game. “Neither did [the] medical [staff], so we held him out. He’ll get some imaging. Too early to [diagnose] the injury. Just a sore hamstring.”

Doncic had 10 points, four rebounds and five turnovers during the Lakers’ rough first half against the 76ers, missing all four of his 3-point shots.

“I talked to (Doncic) a little bit at halftime, asked if he was OK, and he kind of just looked at me,” Reaves said. “Hopefully it’s nothing major. We need him. He’s our best player and the engine of a lot of stuff that we do. Hopefully it’ll be good news tomorrow.”

At least for one night, it was a case of no Luka? No problem. In his absence, Reaves scored 35 points across 25 minutes as the Lakers turned a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead before surviving a rally from the 76ers in the final four minutes.

Reaves fired off a pair of 3-pointers at the start of the fourth quarter, flipping his tongue out and wagging it around as he skipped down the court on both occasions as he provided the Lakers with a 91-87 lead, their first of the game. The Lakers (31-19) never trailed again as Reaves shot 12 for 17 from the field (5 for 8 from 3-point range).

“He was unbelievable tonight,” Redick said.

Midway through the third quarter, Reaves – who returned to the lineup in a blowout win against Brooklyn on Tuesday – pulled up for a 26-foot 3-pointer before turning on the jets to blow by 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey for a layup.

“When you get hurt, obviously there’s a period where you don’t do much, and then for the last two or three weeks, I’ve been grinding,” Reaves said. “I’ve played many stay-ready games. … The amount of time I actually played, I felt like I got a good jump from that. You don’t expect to be ready right off the bat, but I feel like we did a good job of trying to keep my rhythm.”

Reaves, often dismissive of his successful shooting nights, first called his performance on Thursday “not very good,” before answering a question about personal satisfaction.

“Winning’s the main thing, regardless of stats at the end of the day,” Reaves said. “Did you win or lose? That’s how I look at the game.”

A handful of plays later after Reaves’ pair of third-quarter buckets, forward Rui Hachimura cut the Lakers’ deficit to two points with a corner 3-pointer, a 14-foot jumper and a pair of free throws on consecutive offensive possessions. That surge, just before the end of the third quarter, helped to set up Reaves’ fourth-quarter flurry.

Even James, who struggled by his standards on Thursday – 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting to go with eight turnovers – swerved his way to the hoop to flip the ball off the backboard and into the basket to continue a 12-2 run, increasing the lead to 97-89 to force 76ers coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout.

The Lakers kept pulling away and appeared to have things in control with a 110-94 lead with four minutes left, but Philadelphia closed the gap to 116-113 when rookie VJ Edgecombe stole James’ inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play. Maxi Kleber fed Rui Hachimura for a dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Lakers hung on.

Center Joel Embiid paced the 76ers (29-22) with 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting, exploiting a Lakers’ frontcourt that remained intact following Thursday’s midday trade deadline. Maxey added 26 points and 13 assists.

With backup center Jaxson Hayes serving a one-game suspension without pay, Maxi Kleber turned hero with less than seven minutes to play, scraping an offensive rebound away from Embiid under the rim, kicking the ball out to James and into guard Marcus Smart’s hands for a 3-pointer – building a 100-91 advantage in the process.

“We knew that they are not that great on the defensive rebounds, so we put an emphasis on crashing,” said Kleber, who played more than 20 minutes for just the third time this season and led the team with a plus-23 in the box score. “I just tried to crash whenever I had the chance, when I was down there anyway, and then luckily, I got the tip and Marcus made a big shot there.”

The Lakers held the 76ers to just 5-of-24 shooting from behind the arc, while improving from just two 3-pointers in the first half to finish with nine for the night. Despite Embiid’s presence, the Lakers won the rebound battle 42-28 while snapping the 76ers’ five-game winning streak.

Kleber and James helped to hold Embiid to just five fourth-quarter points. As James exited the locker room on Thursday night, he was shouting Kleber’s name – a role player generating an impact when called upon.

“I think you do more when you’re hurt than you do when you’re playing.”

Austin Reaves (35 PTS (12-17 FG), 6 REB, 2 AST) talks to @LakersReporter after the #Lakers 119-115 win over the 76ers. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/0ym4VwAzEA

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 6, 2026

JJ Redick gives an update on Luka Dončić (hamstring soreness) and thoughts on Luke Kennard after the #Lakers 119-115 win against the 76ers. Get closer to the action with Spectrum SportsNet+. #LakeShow
: https://t.co/k8Sa1tLkWs pic.twitter.com/bxj4yg2C8W

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 6, 2026

Rui: “Those games we’ve been winning, I think most of the time we’ve been really physical… I think we need to keep doing that.” #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/9oxar0IOAs

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 6, 2026