Today, the Lakers played against the Nets at home, with Davis out due to injury. The Lakers' starting lineup was Reeves, Christie, Hachimura, James, and Hayes; the Nets' starting lineup was Simmons, Kion Johnson, Williams, Cloney, and Claxton.
In the first quarter, both teams engaged in an offensive battle, with the score alternating. On the Nets' side, Simmons scored himself and continuously assisted his teammates to take the lead. After 15-10, Christie stood up, receiving a pass from James and scoring a three-pointer to tie the game, leading to a timeout. After the timeout, both teams struggled, with missed shots and turnovers. After 17-17, another timeout was called. Returning to the game, the Nets regained the lead, but James hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first quarter with the Lakers leading 24-23 by one point.
In the second quarter, during the rotation phase, the Nets started with a 7-0 run. Vincent and LeBron scored to stop the bleeding, and after the Lakers tied the game, Russell hit a three-pointer! Clenect drew a three-point foul, and after Hayes' dunk, the score was 36-35 as they entered a timeout. After the timeout, Reeves scored five points in a row, prompting the Nets to call another timeout. Returning to the game, the Nets hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, while Reeves drew another three-point foul. Then, he and Hachimura continued to score, with Russell making a mid-range shot to stop the bleeding. At halftime, the Nets were awarded free throws, with the Lakers leading 51-45 by six points.
In the third quarter, after changing sides, the Nets started with an 8-3 run. Cloney assisted Claxton with an alley-oop dunk, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout. Returning to the game, the Nets took the lead with a three-pointer, but LeBron stepped up to score four points in a row to stop the bleeding. After the Lakers led by five points, the Nets made two three-pointers, but Reeves also scored four points in a row, resulting in a tough tug-of-war between both teams. LeBron made a fast-break layup, and Vincent made free throws, ending the third quarter with the Lakers leading 72-68 by four points.
In the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Nets hit consecutive three-pointers to tie the score at 74, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout. After the timeout, James and Reeves scored to stop the bleeding. However, the Nets continued to rain down three-pointers, and both teams started to match each other shot for shot. LeBron assisted Hachimura with a 2+1 play to regain the lead for the Lakers, and then he hit another three-pointer. Despite the Nets' responses, the game remained exciting. Reeves faced Russell and got excited, continuously scoring points. After the Lakers successfully challenged a foul on Vincent, Reeves couldn't be stopped, hitting another three-pointer to extend the lead. After the Nets called a timeout, they still relied on three-pointers to catch up to 101-102. Reeves missed a mid-range shot, and Russell's last-second three-pointer attempt failed, dooming the Nets.
Ultimately, the Lakers defeated the Nets 102-101 at home. Let's take a look at the specific performances of the players!
Leading the team single-handedly, James exploded against the Nets
With Davis absent today, James led the team single-handedly, scoring 9 points in the first quarter with 4 out of 3 shots. In the first half, LeBron had 7 shots, making 5, including 2 out of 2 three-pointers and 1 out of 2 free throws, scoring 13 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
In the third quarter, LeBron scored 6 points, and in the fourth quarter, he hit consecutive three-pointers to help the Lakers keep up with the score and even take the lead, performing an alley-oop dunk with Reeves.
In the entire game, James played 35 minutes, shooting 12 out of 17, including 4 out of 6 three-pointers and 1 out of 2 free throws, scoring 29 points with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, filling up the stat sheet and exploding against the Nets.
Career-high, Reeves completely defeated Russell
Facing his former teammate, Reeves was particularly motivated today, completely going crazy.
In the second quarter, he scored 12 points alone, and in the first half, Reeves had 9 shots, making 6, including 1 out of 2 three-pointers and 3 out of 3 free throws, scoring the highest 16 points in the half with 1 assist and 2 steals, with a plus-minus of +3.
In the second half, Reeves maintained his firepower, scoring 7 points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, he went completely crazy, continuously challenging and scoring 15 points in a row, and assisting LeBron with an alley-oop dunk to set the tone for victory.
In the entire game, Reeves played 37 minutes, shooting 13 out of 23, including 4 out of 8 three-pointers and 8 out of 8 free throws, scoring 38 points with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
38 points is also his career-high in scoring.
Fighting his old team, Russell's buzzer-beater fails
Facing his former team, the Lakers, Russell played well today. In the first half, he had 7 shots, making 3, including 1 out of 3 three-pointers, scoring 7 points with 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
In the second half, Russell shot well from beyond the arc, and in the fourth quarter, he even matched the Lakers shot for shot. However, in the final attack, he missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer, dooming the team.
In the entire game, Russell played 27 minutes, shooting 7 out of 15, including 5 out of 10 three-pointers, scoring an empty 19 points with 6 rebounds and 8 assists.