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Lakers Go Hard in Brooklyn (4/10/21)

The Lakers and the league’s no. 1 defense encountered the Brooklyn Nets and the league’s no. 1 offense. Well, the team with the better defense and 50% shooting from the field on the night grabbed this one, 126-101.

The Lakers five that hit the floor in Brooklyn remains without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. And the Nets were without James Harden and could only depend on Kevin Durant (22 pts, 7 reb) for limited minutes. As both teams were without starters, Lakers’ Dennis Schröder (19 pts) and Nets’ Kyrie Irving (18 pts) emerged as key contributors in the first half.

They both led their respective teams in points and Schröder specifically was responsible for generating the offense with his lightning speed drives to the basket. Unfortunately, both point guards had a little altercation with each other at the start of the third, and after drawing a double technical, they were ejected from the game.

Losing these guys presented a test to each team: Who could adapt and change faster? But the Lakers have had their fair share of unforeseen circumstances this season so dealing with a swift change to their rotation is not the Lake Show’s first rodeo. They adapted, they changed, and at one point they increased their lead to 28 points.

For a third straight game the Lakers’ three-point shooting has been strong. The team collectively shot 55% beyond the arc largely on behalf of the newest Laker, Ben McLemore (17 pts), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (14 pts, 5 ast) — as you might’ve guessed.

Andre Drummond (20 pts, 11 reb) had a big night, an impactful game on both sides of the ball. Dre has smooth handles for a big man, and he isn’t scared of physicality in the paint. Generally, if Drummond thinks he’s getting to the hoop, he’s getting to the hoop. AD2 also notched the most rebounds on the night for both teams. Drummond’s strength has made the Lakers even more dangerous in the paint.

And last, youngest, but definitely not least, there’s Talen Horton-Tucker (14 pts, 11 ast). The young gun continues to move his game forward. With the departure of Dennis, the team looked to THT and he delivered offensively. He’s a confident kid, complete with iso moves, and tonight he exhibited playmaker tendencies. Talen’s vision keeps growing.

For now, the Lake Show’s staying put in the concrete jungle and will face the New York Knicks in two days.