The Los Angeles Lakers closed their two-week-long road trip on a high note with a 125–109 blowout over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. The big win, the Lakers’ fifth in eight games in this road trip, also marked the highly anticipated return of Austin Reaves, who had missed several games due to injury.
LeBron James continued to raise eyebrows in opposing arenas as he led the the way with 25 points, along with 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and a highlight reel of fast-break dunks.
“At the end of the day, we’re all NBA teams, and we have to figure out a way how we can execute. We wanted to finish the trip off the right way,” James said postgame of the team’s annual Grammy road trip, where it plays a series of away games in a row because Crypto.com Arena is used for the annual awards.
Austin Reaves Returns for LA
After missing more than a month due to a left calf strain, Reaves’ return gave the Lakers much-needed firepower as he scored 15 points off the bench, even while on a minutes restriction.
Prior to the injury, Reaves was averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, which would have put his name up as a possible All-Star candidate.
In the 19-game stretch after Reaves left early in the Lakers’ Christmas Day matchup with the Houston Rockets, the Purple and Gold went just 10–9 and at one point dropped as low as sixth in the West.
Lakers Chemistry Continues to Mesh
Encouragingly for Lakers fans, the team’s chemistry looked flawless in Reaves’ return. Defensively, the Purple and Gold were on point as they swarmed the Nets and recorded 14 steals. The Lakers’ high-octane play and ferocious defense more than made up for their dismal 23% shooting and were the keys to building as much as a 39-point cushion at one point.
The Lakers have no time to waste, however, as they need to gear up for a matchup with the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. If it is any consolation, the Purple and Gold will be back on their home floor.
