With LeBron out, Lakers cant muster last-gasp | College News

NEW YORK — The frustration was evident early. And it was exhausting to inform what was bothering the Lakers more — the missed pictures or the perceived missed calls? Was it execution or exhaustion?

If it wasn’t one factor, it was the opposite, the Lakers dropping 111-108 to the lottery-bound Brooklyn Nets, with more durable days over the subsequent 4 weeks headed their method.

Playing with out 4 of their common rotation gamers as a result of of damage Monday night time, the Lakers weren’t anyplace close to their best, bodily shorthanded and quickly disengaged mentally.

“I think it was just an overall mentality just to take shortcuts tonight. We just wanted to take shortcuts,” JJ Redick mentioned about his staff postgame. “Too many… they scored 20 points on us gambling. They had 16 offensive rebounds. We ball-watched all night. We said no dare shots. I can’t, I’ll go through it, they probably made six, seven uncontested threes. Just shortcuts.

“Want to be a good team? You want to win in the NBA? You gotta do the hard stuff. We couldn’t even pass to each other. We couldn’t enter our offense, running ball screens literally at half-court. Yeah, that’s going to end up in a turnover. I don’t know what we’re doing.”

Austin Reaves, counted on to tackle more of an offensive position with LeBron James lacking his first sport together with his strained groin, by no means bought it going. Alex Len and Trey Jemison III, the bigs the Lakers have entry to with Jaxson Hayes coping with swelling in his knee from a bone bruise, mixed for less than two factors and 5 rebounds.

And Luka Doncic, the engine the Lakers will need to push them by means of this brutal stretch of schedule, missed pictures and appeared towards the refs for whistles that by no means got here. When he lastly bought his first one — halfway by means of the third quarter, he threw his arms into the air in celebration. When a later foul was ruled on the ground, wiping out a made basket, he dismissively waved his arms on the refs in disbelief.

“I mean, at the end of the day, it was a lot,” Doncic mentioned, admitting frustration with the officiating. “It wasn’t fair. But we still got to still play the game. I got to keep playing the game.

“But it was a lot.”

And needing a stop deep within the fourth, the Lakers compelled a D’Angelo Russell miss, however the possession ended with Jarred Vanderbilt pushed to the ground and Ziaire Williams grabbing the rebound and scoring.

Doncic needed 26 pictures for his 22 factors to go along with 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Reaves missed 11 of 14 pictures to go together with his eight rebounds and 10 assists.

“I’ve gotta be better,” Reaves mentioned. “Yeah, I mean, we’ll start there with me.”

Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht, filling in with the starters, scored 24 and 19 factors respectively, and Jordan Goodwin had 17 off the bench, however the Lakers had been by no means good enough executing on both finish.

Brooklyn shot 5 more threes and 11 more free throws, the Lakers (40-23) trying solely two within the first half.

Monday’s sport in Brooklyn was one of the few video games the Lakers have this month in opposition to a staff out of the playoff image. They end their present journey in opposition to Milwaukee and Denver on back-to-back nights earlier than coming back to Los Angeles for 5 video games in seven nights.

Pregame, Redick mentioned James’ injured groin was nonetheless being evaluated, and that the staff doesn’t have a clear sense of the severity. Hayes’ knee damage remains to be thought-about day after day, although he might very doubtless miss more sport time. Rui Hachimura, who’s working towards a return from his knee damage, isn’t set for a reevaluation till the Lakers return to L.A. And Dorian Finney-Smith wasn’t accessible as a result of of persevering with points together with his left ankle.

It meant the Lakers began Len at middle alongside Knecht, Vincent, Reaves and Doncic — hardly a group with actual on-court chemistry.

The Lakers turned the ball over 15 instances, resulting in 19 Brooklyn factors. They stayed within the sport as a result of of Vincent and Goodwin, who made 11 of the Lakers’ 19 threes.

The turnovers got here in all varieties, however typically stemmed from Brooklyn flying two defenders at Doncic and Reaves. Redick mentioned it’s a easy repair: The Lakers merely passing to the open man and taking part in benefit basketball, however mentioned a lack of communication was the problem retaining that from occurring.

“That was important,” Doncic mentioned. “That’s my fault and we should have done better at that.”