NEW YORK — Once it was evident that LeBron James was likely to miss the remainder of the Lakers’ road trip because of a strained left groin – an absence that will probably extend beyond this weekend – it was clear that Monday’s road game against the Brooklyn Nets was a matchup they could not overlook.
That sentiment became even more accurate as the Lakers’ injury report continued to grow, with starting center Jaxson Hayes and key reserve forward Dorian Finney-Smith also missing the matchup, in addition to starting forward Rui Hachimura.
So the challenge for the Lakers became just as demanding mentally as it was physically: don’t become disengaged against a struggling opponent that had a 21-42 record going into the game.
The undersized Lakers didn’t pass the challenge, falling to the Nets, 111-108, Monday night at Barclays Center after Luka Doncic’s last-second desperation 76-foot heave hit the arena’s overhead scoreboard before falling wide and short.
Doncic and Austin Reaves combined to shoot 11 for 40 from the field (4 for 15 from 3-point range), with the Nets aggressively defending both players with traps and double-teams, challenging the Lakers to beat them with their other players.
And it was those players who helped keep the Lakers in the game despite Doncic (22 points, 12 assists, 12 rebounds) and Reaves (17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds) struggling with their shots in the team’s second straight loss after an eight-game winning streak.
Gabe Vincent made six 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 24 points, his most since joining the Lakers in July 2023, and helped the Lakers get out in front early by scoring 13 of their first 21 points. Jordan Goodwin scored 17 points to go with eight rebounds, making a career-high five 3-pointers on six attempts. Dalton Knecht added 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
And even with the Lakers struggling to keep the Nets off of the offensive glass, with Brooklyn grabbing 16 offensive rebounds and scoring 16 second-chance points, Vincent’s late shot-making helped keep the Lakers in the game.
He made a 3-pointer to cut their deficit to 101-98 with 1:49 remaining, and made a pair of free throws to make it 104-100 with 1:22 left.
But the Lakers didn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch.
After Reaves banked in a 30-footer that was assisted by Doncic to cut the margin to 106-103, Ziaire Williams had a putback layup after D’Angelo Russell missed an 18-footer, putting the Nets back up 108-103.
Doncic made a 35-footer with 10.6 seconds left to get them back within two, but the Nets then designed a nice play to get Noah Clowney free and he dunked while getting fouled for a five-point advantage. Reaves made a layup with three seconds left, and the Nets’ Cameron Johnson missed a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left before Doncic’s desperation heave.
With all of their injuries, the Lakers used a lineup of Doncic, Reaves, Vincent, Knecht and center Alex Len that had never started together.
Clowney had 19 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Cameron Johnson and Keon Johnson both scored 18 points, and Tyrese Martin added 14.
More to come on this story.
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