NEW YORK — Here’s what Barclays Center and Los Angeles’ newly-minted Crypto.com Arena have in common: blockchain technology, and fans who cheer for the Lakers.
It sounded like the Nets were on the road and the Lakers were at home as LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony put on a show and coasted to a 106-96 victory on Tuesday night.
But the Nets weren’t on the road, because if they were, Kyrie Irving would have played, and under the bright lights against his former co-star, he likely would have dazzled.
Instead, it was James Harden against the world. Harden, who has become the subject of trade rumors, played one of his best games of the season – 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting to go with 11 assists and 12 rebounds – but without Kevin Durant (out indefinitely with an MCL sprain), without Irving (unvaccinated) and without Joe Harris (ankle surgery setback), the Nets simply didn’t have the firepower to compete.
Yet Harden’s play alone nearly buoyed Brooklyn to an unlikely victory. Without both his superstar teammates unavailable, Harden looked like a cage animal that had finally been set free.
But he was alone in his efforts. Patty Mills was the only Nets player to score in double figures (15 points) while the remainder of the supporting cast struggled to find their footing. Meanwhile the Lakers star-studded lineup of LeBron, Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony combined for 83 points on the night.
Lakers fans flooded Barclays Center early and cheered LeBron starting with his ritual pregame powder toss. But by the fourth quarter, James became less of a professional athlete and more of a bully.
James blew-up two consecutive passes from Harden to veteran Nets forward James Johnson, intercepting each attempted find to finish with fastbreak dunks that lit a fire under the Brooklyn crowd. On the next possession, LeBron found himself in a one-on-one matchup with third-year forward Nic Claxton and spun the ball back to himself, then turned his back to Claxton before dribbling into a side-step three.
The shot ricocheted off the left side of the rim, but the sequence was a clear example of how little respect the Lakers had for their opponent. James finished with 33 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the field
And how could the Lakers have felt threatened Tuesday night? The Nets were short-handed, and their home-court advantage flipped on its head.
Fans in attendance cheered Anthony Davis, who scored just eight points in his first game since getting injured on Dec. 17. For Nets fans looking for an injury timeline for Durant, Davis suffered the same injury – a sprained MCL in his left knee – and returned one month and one week after the date.
But Davis wasn’t the only player cheered on the Lakers: Fans also cheered Carmelo Anthony, who finished with 13 points off the bench. Anthony received applause every time he touched the ball,
Those fans drowned-out the small yet faithful contingent of fans cheering “Let’s Go Nets” in the backdrop all night. The Nets are lucky six of their next seven games are on the road, because that’s six games they’ll have Irving to help Harden shoulder the load.
