When it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers would be without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in their Monday contest against the Brooklyn Nets, many fans expected something close to an automatic loss.
It was for good reason, as the Lakers struggled offensively throughout. They were able to hit from 3-point range, but they had lots of trouble otherwise, as they only made 39.3 percent of their overall shots.
Los Angeles fell behind 19-6 in the first quarter, but as they often do, they fought back to take a seven-point lead in the third quarter.
However, the Nets, despite being without Kevin Durant (sprained MCL), still had too much firepower.
Kyrie Irving led the way with 26 points, while Patty Mills and Cam Thomas each scored 21 points off the bench, and Brooklyn powered its way to a 121-104 win.
Rui Hachimura: B-
Hachimura scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 28 minutes, which certainly looks solid, but it was somewhat misleading.
He struggled to hit his shot for most of the game, and it seemed like he was often relegated to standing in the corner and waiting for a kick-out pass from one of his teammates.
The Lakers didn’t utilize Hachimura enough in the mid-range game or the post, which are his two biggest strengths offensively. The Japan native also struggled from the free throw line, going just 3-of-6.
Defensively, he seems to have some trouble staying in front of his man, especially when he’s out on the perimeter. Perhaps that could improve with an offseason or two of working on his defensive fundamentals and techniques.
Troy Brown Jr.: A
This may have been the best game of the season for Brown. He grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, something that was badly needed without James and Davis. The forward shot 4-of-8 overall and 2-of-3 from downtown to score 11 points, to go along with four assists in 31 minutes.
Thomas Bryant: A
Once again in the starting lineup, Bryant led L.A. in scoring with 18 points while missing just one of his eight shot attempts and going 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He also gobbled up nine rebounds and blocked one shot in 27 minutes.
The one thing Bryant didn’t do well was hit free throws, as he missed four of his seven attempts from the charity stripe.
Patrick Beverley: D-/D
Beverley looked to apply some defensive pressure on Irving when the Nets brought the ball upcourt, sometimes forcing someone else to advance the rock. But overall, Beverley had a poor outing.
He missed all but one of his eight shot attempts and finished with five points, three assists and one rebound in 35 minutes.
Dennis Schroder: D
Schroder helped his team with six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, but he couldn’t throw a pea into the East River. He went just 2-of-15 from the field, although he did manage to get to the free throw line enough to muster 10 points.
Wenyen Gabriel: A-
Gabriel didn’t play on Saturday against the Boston Celtics, and he was on the court for just 45 seconds in Wednesday’s contest versus the San Antonio Spurs. But with the Lakers very shorthanded on Monday, Gabriel was inserted for 16 minutes, and he did well.
He scored 11 points in 16 minutes, including nine points in succession in the third quarter when L.A. made its run, while also taking four rebounds. In addition, he made the effort to draw two charging fouls in the first quarter.
Russell Westbrook: C-/C
This was a mixed-bag-type performance from Westbrook. He shot only 5-of-15 from the field and committed six turnovers, some of them on forced passes that may have been ill-advised. But he did connect on 3-of-6 3-point attempts while dishing off 10 assists, claiming eight rebounds and adding one steal and one block.
Lonnie Walker IV: B+
In his second game back from knee tendonitis, Walker again gave the Lakers a much-needed left. In 22 minutes he went 2-of-4 from beyond the arc to score 13 points while adding a rebound and blocked shot.
But although Walker is back and healthy, head coach Darvin Ham still went with lots of lineups that employed two small guards at the same time. At one point, Beverley, Schroder and Westbrook were on the floor at the same time, giving the Lakers a very small lineup overall.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Max Christie: Incomplete
Toscano-Anderson and Christie each got eight minutes, while Jones got in for two minutes at the end of the game. Christie scored three points on a basket and free throw, while Toscano-Anderson and Jones went scoreless.
