Barlow gets paid, but Sixers pay the price in L.A. as win streak ends

The body doesn't necessarily scream NBA worthy. The shot isn't true to form anywhere outside the lane and the defense is unconventional and out of position at times.

But what Sixers forward Dominick Barlow may not possess in the "eye-candy" department when it comes to his basketball game, he more than makes up for with a blue collar approach that is going to make him a city favorite before this season is over.

Barlow, after signing a standard contract with the team earlier in the day -- having played with a two-way one up until then -- continued his torrid West Coast play on Thursday by contributing 13 points, two steals and a block in the Sixers 119-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that snapped the team's five-game winning streak and dropped them to 29-22 overall.

On this road trip, in which the Sixers have won two of three, Barlow has averaged better than 16 points and eight rebounds in close to 28 minutes per game. He has become a major factor in helping coach Nick Nurse figure out how the team is going to move forward without suspended Paul George, who is not eligible to return until the end of March.

Dominick Barlow puts up the block, turns on the jets and gets the bucket down the other end 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VUKvuYqBRp

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) February 6, 2026

"It's great. He certainly more than deserved it," said Nurse to reporters after the game of Barlow getting his pay day. "I mean, geez, I don't know what the record books say but two-way (contract) guys starting that many games out of the block for a team that's winning a little bit, has a winning record, I don't know if that's ever happened. There's some good two-way guys around the league, obviously, playing more, but he's certainly filled a great role for us and he played very well again tonight."    

Playing their third game in four nights, the Sixers had a ton more energy than the Lakers as they came up with nine steals, forced 13 Laker turnovers and had 17 assists on their 24 field goals in the first half in building an eight point lead at the break. Add to that Joel Embiid was having his way with 20 points and the Lakers lost star forward Luka Doncic to a leg injury in the second quarter and it seemed like consecutive win number six was just a half away.

But the Lakers continually got big baskets, mostly from Austin Reeves who finished with 35 points off the bench as he builds up his minutes coming back from a calf injury, and just outmuscled the Sixers for most of the second half in winning for the seventh time in their last 10 games.

"We were playing pretty good and rolling along pretty well and then it just seemed like it was physical at one end and not at the other," said Nurse, who got 35 points from Embiid, 26 and 13 assists from Maxey and 19 points and 10 rebounds from VJ Edgecombe and led by as many as 14.

Perhaps the strain of playing third game in four nights showed in their three-point shooting as the team made just 5-of-24 from beyond the arc, including 1-for-9 for Maxey. 

"We should have made more of the ones that we took, that's for sure. Not a great night from three for us. It wasn't a ton generated, either. That's a pretty low number. I'd like to see at least 50 percent more on that number. For 30 minutes of the game we were really generating good offense and then it got a little bit tough and sticky and physical and we couldn't really generate great shots."

The Lakers had a lot to do with it, particularly against Maxey.

"They did a lot of switching," said Nurse. "I think he started out 0-for-5 or 0-for-6 and all of those were really good. He did get some looks but they started switching a little bit and he just didn't get big ones from there from the three-ball. They were really physical on his drives. I mean, crazy. 

"We turned them over 22 times and made 24 points but we messed up a whole bunch of three-on-ones, three-on-twos. After playing great defense we'd hand it right back and it turns transition back to them. I think we did a poor job in transition most of the night and we didn't make them pay for the good defense that we did play."

Being able to hit 3s consistently will raise Dominick Barlow’s floor so, so much

He’s already shooting 56% from the field this season, feasting primarily as a play finisher around the rim

But being able to stretch the floor makes him more versatile, too pic.twitter.com/ege1e5gmgG

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) February 4, 2026

Despite the loss, it was another big game, and an even bigger day for Barlow, who secured his immediate future with his new standard contract.

"I just want to win games," he told reporters. "I could be happy about it, but we've still got a job to do and that's really my focus. We have the All-Star break coming up, so enjoy that, take a breath and try to reflect on that a little bit. I've just had so much fun playing and being out there. I have kind of just thought that this has been amazing to come here and play and I'm starting or coming off the bench but I'm still playing a lot. My team is behind me and telling me to keep going and be aggressive. The environment to all this has made it very fun."