The Nets fell apart in the fourth quarter as they dropped a tough road game to the Lakers.
The Brooklyn Nets wrapped up their West Coast road trip on Friday night with a showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers . Brooklyn had lost nine games in a row entering Los Angeles, looking to avoid another double-digit losing streak.
Danny Wolf and Michael Porter Jr. were the only Nets who weren't done for the year to miss this game. The Nets gave the Lakers a great game, ultimately coming up short in a 116-99 loss to end the road trip.When the Nets fell behind 22-10 halfway through the first quarter, it looked like it might be another game that ends in blowout fashion. This time around, the Nets flipped the script. They went on a 13-3 run to cut it to a two-point game, which started a fun back-and-forth game the rest of the first half. Jordi Fernandez will love the effort his team gave to get back into the game early. On the final night of a long West Coast road trip against a hot Lakers squad, the Nets had every reason in the book to pack it in and just get out of town. Instead, they chose to fight back and give Los Angeles a game. This was a commendable effort from Brooklyn.Nic Claxton has struggled to find his rhythm over the past few weeks. A combination of nagging injuries and the Nets' looking to lose games has led to a drop-off in production recently. That wasn't the case on Friday. Claxton turned in a great performance, scoring 16 points on 8-10 shooting, along with seven rebounds and three assists. While he didn't see the court in the fourth quarter again, he made a huge impact on this game. On both ends of the court, Claxton elevated his game to give Brooklyn a chance to steal one on the road. This is a lost season for the franchise, but the organization should feel great about Claxton being the long-term answer at center.Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA, and he showed why on Friday. The former Dallas Maverick did whatever he wanted to against Brooklyn, finishing the night with 41 points on 15-25 shooting from the field. He got a hot start and carried that momentum into the second half. When the Nets benched the starters in the fourth, Doncic took over and willed the Lakers to the finish line. It didn't matter who Fernandez put on him. Doncic was in a zone that not many players in the NBA can reach. He was the difference maker in this game.Zach is a recent college graduate covering the Brooklyn Nets for On SI. He also covers the University of Iowa athletics for HawkeyesWire and co-hosts a show on Iowa at the Voice of College Football.Luka Dončić Is On a Scoring Tear the Likes of Which We Have Not Seen Since Michael Jordan
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