1 hour ago
3
NEW YORK — Tuesday night went as well as the Lakers could’ve hoped for.
Star guard Austin Reaves made his long-awaited return to the floor against the Brooklyn Nets after being sidelined since Dec. 25 because of a strained left calf, giving the Lakers a fully healthy rotation, which has been a rarity this season.
And the Lakers picked up a 125-109 win over the Nets at Barclays Center, ending their longest road trip of the year on a high note.
And even though Reaves was on a minutes restriction and came off the bench, he showed flashes of the All-Star-level player he performed at before calf injuries hindered him for nearly two months.
In 21 minutes, Reaves finished with 15 points and four rebounds, going 8-of-10 from the free throw line and shooting 3-for-9 from the field.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 25 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a game the Lakers led by at least 20 points for the final three quarters.
Luka Doncic added 24 points, including 14 in the first quarter that the Lakers dominated, to go with six rebounds and five assists.
With the game in a non-competitive stage and it being clear the main rotation players wouldn’t be on the floor for a significant chunk of the second half, Reaves started the second half in place of Jake LaRavia, signaling that the starting lineup will be Doncic, Reaves, James, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton when Reaves rejoins the starting lineup.
The Lakers led by as many as 39 points in the third quarter after being up 69-40 at halftime.
The Nets, who dropped to 13-36, have lost 17 of their last 20 games.
What it means
The Lakers’ finished their “Grammy” road trip with a winning record, going 5-3 since opening the trip with a win over the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 20.
Tuesday’s win improved them to 30-19 on the season, including 18-11 away from Los Angeles for the third-best road record in the Western Conference.
Turning point
The moment all of the Lakers’ team buses arrived at Barclays Center.
Weather-induced traffic, with the streets of New York still covered in snow/ice from last week’s winter storm, led to even Lakers coach JJ Redick being over 20 minutes late for his pregame media availability.
But once the Lakers took the court, there was no question what the outcome was going to be against a Nets team that’s lost games by 53 points, 37 points and 54 points over the last few weeks.
MVP: Luka Doncic
The Western Conference’s Player of the Month for games in January was able to carry a lighter load on Tuesday after a stellar trip.
His playmaking and early shotmaking, 4-of-5 shooting in the first, led to the Lakers controlling the game from the opening tip.
Stat of the game: 83.3%
That was the Lakers’ field goal percentage at the end of the first quarter, establishing a dominant start in a game they were never threatened.
The Lakers shot 15-of-18 from the field and went 11-of-17 from the free throw line in the opening frame, leading to them having a 45-23 lead going into the second quarter.
Up next
After being away from Southern California for 11 consecutive days, and 16 of 19 days going back to Jan. 16, the Lakers will finally get an extended stretch at home.
They’ll kick off an eight-game homestand sandwiched around All-Star weekend (Feb. 13-15) on Thursday against the 76ers.
Fifteen of the Lakers’ next 18 games will be at Crypto.com Arena.
English (US)