Review: LA Lakers defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 92-83

If Mike D’Antoni is to be believed, the Lakers would be better off without a couple of All-Stars. The head coach of the Lakers remarked that his team resembles an All-Star team and that’s not a good thing, as everyone goes around playing one-on-one in All-Star games.

He was granted his wish tonight, as Dwight Howard sat this one out. “I’m in no rush,” Howard said of playing this one. “Don’t want to re-injure it. So, got to make sure it heals up.” There was a time when Howard being moved to the Nets was a possibility. It still is if the All-Star isn’t pleased with how things go with the Lakers. In the absence of the big man, the Lakers’ other big man, Pau Gasol, stepped up with 15 points, but he did it on 6 of 16 shooting and only had 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 34 minutes of action. He had to leave the game prematurely as he injured his right foot with around four minutes remaining in the game.

Earl Clark started for Howard and played 40 minutes while scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. But Howard’s absence exposed the defensive weakness of the Lakers’ front-line, as the All-Star center of the Nets, Brook Lopez, finished with 30 points on 11 of 25 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Metta World Peace had to sit this one out as he was suspended for hitting Brandon Knight of the Pistons. This sounds like a Laker loss brewing, but Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant stepped up big for the purple and gold as they combined for 38 points to lead them to a 92-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Bryant shot poorly, only 9 of 24 for 21 points, but he added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Steve Nash shot 6 of 11 and had 8 assists to go with 4 rebounds. Kobe came into this one averaging 16.5 points in his last four games.

“I’m not encouraged by anything I saw tonight,” Nets Coach P. J. Carlesimo said.

Earl Clark has been fighting a losing battle of sorts. Being on a team with two of the best big men in the league in Howard and Gasol, he ends up coming up short by reputation, regardless of how well he plays. He played pretty well today as he finished with the highest +/- of any Laker, with +18. No other Laker besides Kobe, Nash, Clark and Gasol finished in double figures.

“I didn’t do good enough. I think the dunk gave his team energy, and then the last layup kind of put them up for good. I think I could have played better defense on those.”- Gerald Wallace said of containing Kobe. This is the dunk he is speaking of:

As a team, the Lakers were out-rebounded heavily by the Nets, 52 to 40. Reggie Evans and Brook Lopez took full advantage of the absence of Howard by finishing with 11 rebounds each, and Kris Humphris had 9 rebounds. The Nets had a lot going for them in this one, but their poor shooting did them in. They shot a woeful 34.8% as opposed to 45.1% of the Lakers. The poor shooting percentage of the Nets was largely thanks to their back court of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Williams shot 5 of 13 for 15 points and added 9 assists and 5 rebounds. Johnson shot 4 of 15 for 11 points, with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Lakers were 3 from 13 point range, which is pretty bad, but the Nets were worse still as they shot 6 of 23. Worse not in shooting percentage but in the number of threes missed. You need to stop living and dying by the three ball once you see that you are dying by it more than living. Only Lopez, Williams and Johnson finished in double figures for the Nets.

The Nets haven’t won against the Lakers since November 25, 2007. The Lakers improved to 23-26 and the Nets dropped to 28-20. The Lakers have now won six of their last seven games. Even though the Brooklyn Nets were protecting the Barclays Center well, going 18-8 before this one, they fell to the Lakers.

“It feels pretty good. There’s a lot of energy in the building. You can feel it. It’s kind of a good electricity in the air. I like playing here,” said Bryant of his first visit to Brooklyn arena. Not something the Nets want to hear.

Here are the highlights of this game: