LOS ANGELES — LeBron James sat out Wednesday’s game, seemingly the beginning of bad news for the Lakers.

Another loss was just around the corner as the Lakers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-121, at Crypto.com Arena.

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  • The LA Lakers fell to the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-121

  • The Lakers deserve credit for not getting run over even though James was sidelined because of a sore left knee

  • Russell Westbrook started slowly in the first half but finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists

  • The Lakers’ problem was their defense

The Lakers’ defense failed them (again) and the big picture looked more opaque as their grip loosened a bit for a berth in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

The Lakers deserved credit for not getting run over even though James was sidelined because of a sore left knee that’s nagged him since the All-Star break. They trailed by only two points after Wenyen Gabriel’s bank shot as time expired in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter, however, was a slow pull toward a 76ers victory as the Lakers dropped to 31-42 and clinched a losing record this season.

As such, their most important game of the season so far will be Sunday in New Orleans.

The Lakers’ lead over the 10th-place Pelicans (30-42) is merely half a game and the Pelicans clinch the head-to-head tie-breaker — not to mention pick up a game in the standings — with a victory Sunday.

“It’s a game that we definitely want to win. It’s going to be a playoff-type atmosphere for us because it’s a must-win for us, I believe,” Russell Westbrook said.

The Lakers also need to be cognizant of the 11th-place San Antonio Spurs (29-44), who moved within two games of them after crushing Portland by 37 points Wednesday. Only the top 10 West teams play beyond the regular season. The Lakers aren’t guaranteed anything at this point.

Surprisingly, the Lakers had no problems scoring without James, Anthony Davis (sprained foot) and Talen Horton-Tucker (sprained ankle).

Westbrook started slowly in the first half but finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He did have seven turnovers, though, a category that hadn’t plagued him recently until reappearing against Philadelphia.

Dwight Howard had his best game this season with 24 points and eight rebounds while Malik Monk added 23 points.

What You Need To Know

“We’re making progress. We’re making the habits that are going to win for us in the postseason,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “The group that played tonight showed everyone that we’ve still got a whole lot of fight in us.”

The Lakers’ problem was their defense. It’s ranked No. 27 in the NBA since the All-Star break and it misfired again Wednesday.

Four 76ers starters scored at least 20 points, including MVP candidate Joel Embiid (30 points) and James Harden (24 points).

The Lakers couldn’t even win with an LA Rams player in the crowd.

They were victorious when Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford sat courtside for separate games over the last few weeks but couldn’t extend the streak with Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp in the front row Wednesday.