LeBron James scored 25 points and Luka Doncic added 24 as the Los Angeles Lakers overwhelmed the Brooklyn Nets 125-109 on Tuesday night, welcoming Austin Reaves back to the lineup for the first time since Christmas.
Reaves finished with 15 points in 21 minutes after missing 19 games with a strained left calf, entering late in the first quarter with the Lakers already in command. His return coincided with a blistering offensive start, as Los Angeles opened the game by hitting 20 of its first 25 shots and quickly turned the night into a rout.
The Lakers shot 15 of 18 from the field in the first quarter to build a 45-23 lead, then opened the second with a James bucket through contact. Reaves missed back-to-back 3-pointers shortly thereafter, but made an immediate impact defensively with a steal that led to a self-alley-oop pass off the backboard for James. Another James steal and dunk made it 57-28, and Los Angeles carried a 69-40 advantage into halftime after the lead swelled to as many as 38.
Jake LaRavia scored 18 points for the Lakers, who finished their road trip 5-3 and looked sharp with Reaves back in the rotation after he averaged 26.6 points prior to the injury. Los Angeles was able to cruise the rest of the way against a Brooklyn team that has struggled mightily of late.
Michael Porter Jr. had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who have dropped nine of their last 10 games. Day’Ron Sharpe added 19 points and 14 rebounds, but Brooklyn never seriously threatened after the opening quarter.
Up next:
The Lakers return home to host Philadelphia on Thursday night, while the Nets visit Orlando.
