Last week, the Nets had an NBA-high 13 players in COVID-19, but after three postponements and a week off, it appeared the Nets might get well in a hurry as they built a 23-point fourth-quarter lead over the Lakers.
But the Nets almost made themselves sick by coughing up that entire lead as the Lakers tied it with 45 seconds to go before the Nets scored the final seven points to pull out a 122-115 Christmas Day victory Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Nets improved their NBA-best road record to 12-3. The Nets lost all of a 17-point second-quarter lead as the Lakers briefly went in front early in the third quarter. But the Nets finished the third period on an extended 25-8 run that included a pair of three-pointers by Patty Mills to build a 102-82 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Nets’ lead reached a high of 23 points on a Patti Mills three-pointer with10:39 left to play. But they suddenly went into the deep freeze as the Lakers went on a 17-0 run to cut their deficit to 107-101 before Mills finally drained a three to end the Nets’ scoreless drought at 5:18. The Nets missed all six shots in that span and committed four turnovers.
LeBron James responded with a three-pointer of his own and a layup to cut the Nets’ lead to 110-106 with 3:56 to go. The Lakers finally climbed all the way back into it when Malik Monk’s layup with 45 seconds left tied the game at 115 before the Nets regained control.
Harden put on a show, leading the Nets (21-9) with 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Mills poured in 34, including 8-for-13 three-point shooting, Bruce Brown added 16 points and DeAndre’ Bembry had 15. James topped the Lakers (16-17) with 39 points, Monk totaled 20 and Russell Westbrook had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Nets welcomed back Harden, who missed the previous four games they played, one because of a planned rest and then three more after he entered health and safety protocols. Harden averaged 22.7 points over the last six games he played, and the Nets were desperate for the offensive lift he might provide to a team still missing Kevin Durant in health and safety protocols.
"There’s been a lot thrown at him, and he’s continued to progress and get better," Nets coach Steve Nash said of Harden, who got off to a slow start while coming back from a summer spent rehabbing a hamstring injury. Obviously, the latest COVID interruption hit, so he kind of starts afresh today."
This marked the first-ever Christmas Day meeting between the Nets and Lakers, but Nash admitted it lacked some of the usual excitement associated with a showcase game on national TV because of the circumstances during a pandemic.
"I definitely think there’s an element that’s disappointing," Nash said. "Everyone’s kind of got COVID fatigue. Christmas isn’t quite the same when you’re dealing with COVID. At the same time, we’ve got to be grateful for all the things we do have. We have a chance to play a basketball game on Christmas Day."
The Nets certainly found their form in a hurry after the layoff as they sprinted out to a 38-23 first period lead while shooting 66.7% from the field (16 of 24). Early in the second quarter, the Nets’ lead reached a high of 17 points.
But that’s where they began to come unraveled at the defensive end. The Lakers finished the quarter on a 22-13 run to close their halftime deficit to 66-62. The Nets gave up 39 points on 14-of-22 Lakers shooting in the period.
Although the Lakers took a brief lead early in the third quarter, the Nets drilled down on defense and held the Lakers to 20 third-quarter points.
