The fans present at the Barclays Center this night will have gotten their money's worth with this breathtaking Nets-Lakers, marked by a historic performance from LeBron James which allowed the Californians to secure their 15th away victory of the season.
Everything started well for Darvin Ham's men who started the match with a resounding 17-0 in the first six minutes of play, with a Hachimura-Davis tandem at the top to support the “King”. Enough to ensure a comfortable advantage until the end? Not quite, since Brooklyn made a point of not giving up and challenging the Lakers until the end.
Cam Johnson led the way with 3-pointers to complete a nightmarish first quarter (11-31). It was then the Watford-Thomas-Claxton trio who managed to raise the morale of the troops until Mikal Bridges' 3-pointer to bring the Nets to -12 (35-47). LA then revived thanks to an aerial Anthony Davis, and the 3-pointer from the former D'Angelo Russell house to get back to +20 shortly before the break (39-59).
Cam Thomas challenges LeBron James
Returning from the locker room, LeBron James made sure to drive the point home by scoring a dunk then two 3-point baskets to keep the locals at a good distance (65-85). But that was without counting on the enthusiasm of Cam Thomas, author of three throws then a 3+1 to reignite the suspense at the end of the third quarter (79-90). The Nets guard outbid with a new outside basket to start the last act.
The “King”'s response was quick with two shots from behind the arc to give his team some breathing space before starting again a few minutes later, this time to kill the match, in front of a crowd stunned to see LBJ join the locker room with an improbable 9/10 in the exercise (93-111). This time, Kevin Ollie's troops had to face the facts and lost 104-116, powerless against LeBron James' 40 points.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– An unreal start to the match. The Lakers had put themselves in the best position to attack this match well with a crazy series: 17-0! With defense, quick play in transition and a Hachimura-Davis duo to ensure the success. On the other hand, the Nets went through a real black hole, unable to score a single point for 6 minutes at home! Despite this catastrophic start, Brooklyn, which was up to 26 points behind, did not give up, coming back to -8 at the start of the fourth quarter. Without this failed start, the opposition could have been much more balanced…
– LeBron James winner by KO. You shouldn't tickle him! At 39 years old, LeBron James once again delivered an exceptional performance by equaling his record for 3-point baskets scored in a career match (9) and his season points record (40). Already in the second quarter, LeBron James had scored two 3-point baskets in a row to warm up. The rest lived up to its legend, including four arrows from behind the arc to seal the fate of the match in the fourth quarter and respond to a slightly too enterprising Cam Thomas. The most impressive thing remains its success percentage: 90%! In January 2023, when he had already made 9 3-point baskets in a match, he needed 14 attempts. A little “Vino” side to this graying LeBron James.
– Like Michael Jordan. With his 9 out of 10 at 3-points, LeBron signed a score worthy of a “Splash Brother”, but he also equaled Michael Jordan. How ? By signing a second game with 40 points or more at 39 years old. Only “His Highness” had achieved this in history.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
