Lakers’ rally falls short in Christmas Day loss to Nets

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LOS ANGELES – Another night, different uphill climb, different stumbling finish.

Christmas wasn’t overmuch of a vacation interruption for the Lakers.

They got person than they had immoderate close to, considering they trailed by 23 points successful the 4th quarter, that they were doling retired important minutes to a 10-day declaration player, and that 1 of their disposable stars changeable a miserable 4 for 20 from the field.

But that’s improbable to easiness the ache for the Lakers (16-18), who mislaid their 5th consecutive game, 122-115, successful heart-rending manner against a Brooklyn squad much shorthanded than they were. They were chopped to pieces by James Harden (36 points) and Patty Mills (34), who led a hobbling Nets squad to triumph without Kevin Durant oregon Kyrie Irving.

The Lakers’ champion anticipation was again LeBron James, who was again not capable to win. The 36-year-old scored 39 points and dished retired 7 assists successful the comeback, different beardown effort successful a caller drawstring that has not been capable to propulsion the Lakers implicit the hump. He drove the action, assisting oregon scoring connected each 4 baskets that led to Malik Monk tying the crippled with 45 seconds left.

But Nets halfway Nic Claxton slammed a dunk implicit James’ caput 5 seconds aboriginal and drew a foul, adding insult to wounded and an other constituent to boot. The Lakers ne'er scored again.

“I don’t truly attraction astir the mode I play if it comes successful a loss,” helium said. “When I’m connected the floor, I’m conscionable trying to bash my portion and more.”

Interim manager David Fizdale is beset by problems astatine the moment, not the slightest of which is filling successful for Frank Vogel who is successful the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. But 1 gets the consciousness that James’ tally of four-straight games of 30 points oregon much is keeping him up astatine nighttime much than immoderate other.

“I’m kicking myself successful the caput due to the fact that he’s giving maine unthinkable effort,” Fizdale said. “Trying to fig retired ways to get him implicit the hump with that effort, and I hatred that it’s wasted connected losses.”

The co-stars who erstwhile made this a circled crippled connected the regular-season docket didn’t unrecorded up to their billing. Anthony Davis is conscionable a week successful to his rehab from an MCL strain; Russell Westbrook was inactive flying around, doing everything but finishing his shots. Even though Westbrook (13 points) took lone 4 shots extracurricular of the paint, helium struggled to decorativeness adjacent to the rim, too.

The person the extremity of the crippled crept, the much Westbrook’s misses hurt. He missed a digit rotation with 3:22 left, but the Lakers managed to rotation done it. But they couldn’t retrieve erstwhile a escaped shot recovered Westbrook’s hands, and helium changeable up the lane for a dunk effort that ricocheted disconnected the rim itself with 26 seconds to go.

The Lakers had to edifice to hacking for fouls, allowing the Nets to propulsion distant astatine the finish.

The idiosyncratic who could person champion explained the show declined to talk to the media Saturday night. In his stead, Fizdale referenced thing he’s said earlier astir Westbrook: He’s struggling due to the fact that helium wants to win.

“I mean you tin conscionable spot it successful him, everybody does: He wants it truthful bad,” Fizdale said. “And I cognize that’s conscionable hard for him erstwhile it doesn’t enactment out. And I cognize helium cares similar crazy. This is each time to him. And sometimes it conscionable doesn’t enactment retired that way.”

Westbrook’s were not the lone misses that wounded the Lakers successful the 4th quarter: James and Talen Horton-Tucker each missed layups midway done the play erstwhile the Lakers outscored the Nets 33-20.

James besides pointed retired Westbrook’s different stats, including 11 assists and 12 rebounds for a triple-double. Five of his boards came connected the violative end, wherever the Lakers person been struggling.

“He gave america other possessions, helium gave america a batch of looks astir the basket, which I cognize that helium can’t basal (missing) arsenic well,” helium said. “But arsenic acold arsenic the effort piece, if a feline plays hard, if a feline leaves it each retired connected the floor, I got not occupation with that. It’s a make-or-miss league.”

Another hard question for the Lakers mightiness beryllium however they got truthful acold successful the spread successful the archetypal place. They took the pb with a Carmelo Anthony (17 points) jumper astatine 10:25 of the 3rd quarter, past were outscored 32-12 for the remainder of the period. The Lakers were anemic contempt shooting six much shots successful the 3rd 4th than the Nets, hitting 8 for 27 to Brooklyn’s 13 for 21.

Starters pulled much than their value for Brooklyn, which had conscionable 12 points from the bench. The Lakers’ ain starters were sketchy astatine best, with each of them posting a antagonistic plus-minus standing but James, who outscored the Nets by 9 points successful astir 40 minutes.

The Lakers pulled the plug connected Dwight Howard early, going with wing-heavy lineups to support up with Harden (10 for 25) and Mills (11 for 17). Harden was conscionable 1 time retired of the protocols himself, tossing a first-quarter airball but showing small different sick signs.

The Lakers person thing resembling momentum astatine present, their adjacent losses not representing advancement arsenic overmuch arsenic the vexation of coming adjacent for a constrictive loss. James said helium would dive into film, not conscionable to spot what the Lakers tin amended upon, but himself arsenic well.

“I effort to bash my portion erstwhile I’m connected the floor, transportation the load, effort to bash a small spot connected some sides and conscionable effort to pb by illustration and besides pb with my voice,” helium said. “And it’s evidently been hard passim this stretch, but that won’t halt maine I’m going to proceed doing what I’m doing.”

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