LeBron James scores 25 as Lakers cruise past Nets
LeBron James collected 25 points and seven assists as the Los Angeles Lakers seized control early in the finale of an eight-game road trip and cruised to a 125-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night in New York.
James made 10 of 16 shots, including a pair of thunderous dunks in the first half. He also added three rebounds and had three of the Lakers' 14 steals.
During his final minutes on the floor, some fans were chanting "We Want Bronny" in hopes of seeing his son, Bronny James, enter the game. The younger James played the final 4:36 and earned loud cheers from the mostly pro-Lakers crowd for a pair of baskets.
Luka Doncic added 24 points on 8 of 18 shooting and sat for the fourth quarter after playing 29 minutes. Doncic also handed out five assists and grabbed six rebounds.
Jake LaRavia contributed 18 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 15 in his return after missing 19 straight games with a sprained left ankle.
The Lakers went 5-3 on the tripA, which was necessitated by the Grammy awards taking over their home arena, and earned their second lopsided victory of the trek.
Los Angeles made its first seven from the field and shot 54.1%. The Lakers also scored 66 points in the paint to offset a 7 of 31 showing from 3-point range.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Porter missed all nine 3-point tries and was 7 of 18 overall.
Day'Ron Sharpe finished with 19 points and 14 boards for Brooklyn, which lost for the 17th time in 20 games and only led in the opening two minutes. Ziaire Williams contributed 17 for the Nets, who scored 69 points in the second half to make the final score more respectable.
The Nets shot 47.9% but missed 31 of 41 3-point attempts and allowed 23 points off 20 turnovers
Doncic scored 14 in the first quarter when the Lakers shot 83.3% (15 of 18) and opened a 45-23 lead. Los Angeles took its first 30-point lead when James hit a nine-footer for a 59-29 cushion with 7:53 left, a 36-point lead on Marcus Smart's short jumper with 5:20 left and held a 69-40 edge by halftime.
Doncic's stepback 3 extended the lead to 83-44 with 8:08 remaining in the third quarter and the Lakers held an 89-55 lead when James went to the bench with 4:25 left. Los Angeles held a 100-74 advantage through the third and led 111-83 when James checked out for the night with just over eight minutes left.