NBA Standings 2022: Lakers, 76ers Are First 2-Loss Teams After Playing Top West, East Contenders

This is not the start to the 2022-23 season that the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers had envisioned. They are at the bottom of the very, very early NBA standings, becoming the first teams to suffer two losses.

The Lakers' 0-2 record is far from surprising, given that Los Angeles has played the two favorites in the Western Conference. The 76ers have been defeated by the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and Philadelphia is still expected to be a contender.

Los Angeles was barely competitive in its 123-109 opening-night loss against the Golden State Warriors. In their 103-97 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers' biggest weakness was on full display as the team missed 36 of its 45 attempts from 3-point range.

The Lakers are shooting 22.4% on 3-pointers in two games. It's a number that should improve, but Los Angeles is likely to remain near the bottom of the league in that category. Russell Westbrook is 1-of-9 from downtown.

Much has been made about the team's lack of shooting, and LeBron James already seems to be tired of the discussion.

"I'm definitely not going to sit here and harp on what we can't do every single game," James told reporters Thursday. "That's not a leader. What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win and we just couldn't make it happen. But, I'm OK with that."

James is averaging 25.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. The four-time champion is still one of the league's top players. Los Angeles started the season as a long shot to win the title, and its championship odds have gotten significantly worse in just a couple of days.

It's a different story in Philadelphia, where the 76ers have championship aspirations and are likely to bounce back in quick fashion. The Boston Celtics beat the 76ers 126-117 in the opener. The Milwaukee Bucks escaped Philadelphia with a 90-88 victory two nights later.

James Harden has put up stats that are reminiscent of his previous MVP-caliber campaigns. Harden is averaging 33.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Joel Embiid won't be in the MVP conversation if things keep heading in the same direction.

Philadelphia has played better with Embiid on the bench. The 76ers outscored the Celtics and Bucks by 28.2 points per 100 possessions when Embiid wasn't in the game. With the back-to-back MVP runner-up on the floor, Philadelphia has been outscored by 23 points in 73 minutes.

The 76ers' stats with Embiid on the court should get much better. Philadelphia's 0-2 start, however, raises questions about just how far Philadelphia can go with Embiid and Harden on the same team.