The Lakers were in Brooklyn to continue to make some ground in the standings. With every game crucial to their playoff positioning, they needed to get the win against an inferior Nets team.
The Lakers made sure they set the tone early and came out firing on all cylinders. Anthony Davis was the head of the snake, knocking down shots and collecting rebounds jumping to a 15-0 start.
Following suit, the rest of the starting lineup finished the first half in double figures. Davis with 20, LeBron James with 15, Rui Hachimura with 12 and Austin Reeves with 10.
The Lakers took a 23-point lead into the half, setting them up for a win if they were able to keep their consistency on the offensive and defensive end.
The third quarter would cause some headache for L.A., particularly in the turnover department. The Lakers had 11 turnovers, and allowed the Nets to cut the lead to 11 heading into the fourth quarter.
That’s when LeBron decided to take matters into his own hands. The oldest player in the league got scorching hot from three knocking down a tough fade-way from the corner, and then a spot up three with a hand in his face. All contributing to tying his career high from the three-point line.
With 17 points in the fourth quarter alone, the king finished with 40 points off 9/10 from behind the arc. That would tie the Laker franchise record for best three-point percentage on a minimum of 10 attempts.
He would catapult the Lakers to a 116-104 win, keeping them in the 9 spot and only 1.5 games behind the Kings in 8th.
LeBron spoke on how he has been able to elevate his three-point game. “I’ve been able to be on the floor a lot more during non-game days, and my foot is feeling a lot better.
He also credited his work ethic to similar performances. “Working on my game, working on my craft, so that that’s how I kind of like to end consistent with my shot, you know same shot every time and just work, work, work.”
The consensus from LeBron is that being healthy has been the biggest difference from previous seasons. The hope is that availability, along with the starting lineup getting more minutes together can bode well for them in the playoffs and play-in.
The Lakeshow also saw the return of Gabe Vincent, who had just two points in 14 minutes. His two points ironically, would be the only bench points the Lakers had on the night.
The purple and gold are gaining momentum as the season ends with key players returning from injury.
A healthy Laker line-up will be a scary sight for any team in a 7-game series. They look to keep up their dominant play against the Raptors on Tuesday.
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