The Los Angeles Lakers prevailed on the road against the Brooklyn Nets 125-109 on Tuesday, bouncing back from their loss against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
The Lakers got off to an electric start, outscoring Brooklyn 45-23 in the first quarter, which is just one point shy from their best first quarter start this season. Luka Dončić scored 14, and Jaxson Hayes had the second highest score in the quarter with nine.
The offense was relatively balanced throughout the team. The all-star duo of Lebron James and Dončić dropped a combined 49 points with James scoring 25 and Dončić finishing with 24. Jake LaRavia ended the game with 18 points, and in his return after his 19-game absence, Austin Reaves ended with a solid 15 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals on a 21-minute restriction.
The Nets’ woes continued, as they have now gone 1-9 in their last ten games. Cam Thomas continued to struggle to find his offensive rhythm from last season, only scoring eight points in 23 minutes on the court.
Michael Porter Jr. ended up recording a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds; however, he could not find the net from three, shooting 0-9 from behind the arc.
There was still a bright spot for the Nets though: Day’Ron Sharpe’s performance. Sharpe dropped 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals — all well above his averages in each category.
This win is important for the Lakers as the team’s true capabilities have been unclear with Reaves out since December. With the competitive six team stand off in the West where these teams are all within three wins of each other, the Lakers cannot afford to drop any games, especially against teams under .500.
Even with Reaves looking like he hasn’t lost a step, and the team playing well offensively as a whole, the Lakers will need to keep the momentum heading into an upcoming four-team gauntlet. They will be facing four playoff teams: the Philadelphia 76ers, followed by the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs to close the four game stretch.