The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

The Lakers (36-9) are playing their fifth road game in a row here, which is really not a big issue for a club like this. In fact, Los Angeles' 20-4 road record is the best mark in the NBA. That says a lot about the growth of this team, with the Lakers catapulting themselves to the top of the Western Conference standings. They've built quite the gap too, sitting 4.5 games up on the Utah Jazz in second. What's really impressive about this club is the fact that they get it done on both ends of the floor. They're actually one of only two teams who sit Top-8 in both points scored and points surrendered, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis running the show. It's not just them though, veterans like Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard have been huge surprises as well.

The Sixers (29-17) have been a different team when they play in the friendly confines of Wells Fargo Center, posting a 20-2 record at home. That happens to be the second-best mark in the NBA and it's really no surprise when you see that they've won four of their last five heading into this matchup. What makes that recent run really encouraging is the fact that they've done it all with Joel Embiid sidelined. The big man continues to miss games because of a hand injury and his absence has really allowed other players to flourish. The guy who's stepped up his game the most is Ben Simmons, with the Aussie flirting with triple-double averages in Embiid's absence while scoring more than 20 points per game in those outings. If they can get him playing at that level when Embiid returns, this will be one of the most dangerous teams in the second half.

Philly swept the season series over Los Angeles last season, winning four of their last five games over them in total.