Luka Doncic (41 points), Lakers stay hot vs. hapless Nets
Luka Doncic scored 41 points and Austin Reaves had 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers beat visiting Brooklyn 116-99 on Friday night, sending the Nets to their 10th straight loss.
Doncic also grabbed eight rebounds and has scored at least 30 points in a career-high 12 straight games for Los Angeles (48-26), which won for the 11th time in its last 12 games.
LeBron James scored 14 points and Jaxson Hayes had 10 points, eight rebounds and a season-high five blocks.
Brooklyn (17-57) was outscored 31-15 in the fourth quarter and has lost 20 of its last 22. Josh Minott scored 18 off the bench to lead the Nets, while Nic Claxton and Ziaire Williams added 16 apiece and Ben Saraf scored 10.
The Nets trailed by one at the end of the third quarter before Los Angeles took control in the fourth. Reaves hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points during a 14-4 run to give the Lakers a 103-94 lead with 5:02 left.
Doncic and Reaves made back-to-back 3-pointers to close out the game. Reaves made all four of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, while Doncic finished 15-of-25 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Doncic also received his 16th technical foul midway through the third quarter and will face an automatic one-game suspension from the NBA.
The Lakers made 29 of 42 free throw attempts while the Nets made 9 of 15. Los Angeles shot 54.3% from the field and 44% (11 of 25) from 3-point range. The Nets finished at 46.2% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 30.4% (7 of 24).
Doncic scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the opening quarter to help put the Lakers ahead 35-30.
Brooklyn began the second quarter on a 9-2 run and took its first lead at 39-37 on Terance Mann's 3-pointer with 9:20 left in the period.
Doncic had 24 points in the first half for the Lakers, who held a 61-59 advantage at intermission. Los Angeles led by just two despite shooting 56.1% for the half.
The Lakers were unable to separate in the third quarter and held an 85-84 lead at the end of the period.