For the first time since Kyrie Irving’s hiatus from the team, as well as Jacque Vaughn’s official hiring as coach, the Brooklyn Nets flat-out didn’t play well on Sunday night in Los Angeles. They fell to a Lakers team missing LeBron James - making James’ next opportunity to matchup with Kevin Durant for the first time since Christmas Day 2018 in 2023. The Lakers held Brooklyn at bay from beginning to end, the only real signs of life shown during a 16-3 run during the third quarter.
Defensively, Brooklyn could not contain Anthony Davis, who finished with a monster 37 and 18 stat-line.