Here is a by-the-numbers look at the Lakers’ 114-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
2
Lakers with double-doubles. Jordan Hill pushed his team-leading season total to 17 by collecting 12 points and 10 rebounds, but Ed Davis was L.A.’s workhorse for the night. The first-year Laker racked up 16 points and 14 rebounds, reaching that statline for the first time in his career. Davis was also efficient with his opportunities, as he went 8-for-10 from the field with each shot coming within four feet of the hoop.
15
Assists from Deron Williams. In his first start since Dec. 19, Williams reminded the Lakers why he is a five-time all-star, reaching his highest assist total since March 2012. The 30-year-old also pitched in 12 points to notch his first double-double in two months.
“He did a good job controlling the game,” Jeremy Lin said. “He controlled the tempo and got people where they needed to be. He was definitely a good floor general for their team.”
17.4
Percentage shot by the Lakers on 3-pointers. The Lakers simply couldn’t hit their mark from long range, going just 4-for-23 on triples, including 1-for-11 in the second half. Five Lakers took at least three 3’s, and none made more than one. In particular, Wayne Ellington trudged through an 0-for-7 night from deep, joining Wesley Johnson (March 6, 2014) as the only Lakers to shoot that many 3-pointers without making one over the last seven seasons.
20
L.A.’s deficit with eight minutes remaining in the game. However, the Lakers threatened late, going on a 15-2 run, which cut Brooklyn’s lead to 107-100 with 2:29 left. Despite Lin, Hill and Ronnie Price each scoring four points in this stretch, L.A. could not keep its momentum churning, as the Nets kept it from creeping any closer.
40
Points scored by Brooklyn in the third quarter. The Lakers held a one-point lead over the Nets coming out of halftime, but Brooklyn quickly extinguished it, shooting a blazing 71.4 percent (15-for-21) to double L.A.’s 20 third-quarter points. Joe Johnson poured in 13 of his game-high 23 points in this frame by taking and making all four of his shots — each of which were 3-pointers — and adding a free throw. Meanwhile, the Lakers could not create any traction on the offensive end, going 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) and missing all three of their triples.
“They punched us, and we just started trying to do the rope-a-dope,” head coach Byron Scott said. “We just got on our heels. We stopped competing or fighting fire with fire. We basically allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do. On the offensive end, we tried to do it individually instead of trying to do it as a team.”