The frustration was evident early. And it was hard to tell what was bothering the Lakers more on Monday — was it the missed shots or the perceived missed calls?
If it wasn’t one thing, it was the other, the Lakers losing 111-108 to the lottery pick-bound Brooklyn Nets with tougher days over the next four weeks ahead.
Playing without four of their regular rotation players because of injury, the Lakers weren’t anywhere close to their best, physically shorthanded and mentally disengaged.
Austin Reaves, who needed to take on a more prominent offensive role with LeBron James out because of a groin strain, never got it going. Alex Len and Trey Jemison III, the bigs the Lakers have access to with Jaxson Hayes dealing with swelling in his knee from a bone bruise, combined for only two points and five rebounds.
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And Luka Doncic, the engine the Lakers will need to push them through this brutal stretch of schedule, missed shots and looked toward the refs for whistles that never came. When he finally got his first one — midway through the third quarter, he threw up his hands in celebration. When a later foul was ruled on the floor, wiping out a made basket, he dismissively waved his hands at the refs in disbelief.
And needing a stop deep in the fourth, the Lakers forced a D’Angelo Russell miss, but the possession ended with Jarred Vanderbilt pushed to the floor and Zaire Williams scoring off the rebound.
Doncic needed 26 shots for his 22 points to go with 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Reaves missed 11 of 14 shots to go with his eight rebounds and 10 assists. Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht, filling in with the starters, scored 24 and 19 points respectively, and Jordan Goodwin had 17 off the bench, but the Lakers were never good enough executing on either end.
Brooklyn shot five more threes and 11 more free throws, the Lakers (40-23) attempting only two in the first half.
Monday’s game in Brooklyn was one of the few games the Lakers have this month against a team out of the playoff picture. They finish their current trip against Milwaukee and Denver on back-to-back nights before coming back to Los Angeles for five games in seven nights.
Before the game, JJ Redick said James’ injury was still being evaluated, and that the team doesn’t have a clear sense of the severity. Hayes’ knee injury is still considered day to day. Rui Hachimura, who is working toward a return from his knee injury, isn’t set for a re-evaluation until the Lakers return to L.A. And Dorian Finney-Smith wasn’t available because of continuing issues with his left ankle.
It meant the Lakers started Len at center alongside Knecht, Vincent, Reaves and Doncic — hardly a group with real on-court chemistry.
The Lakers turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 19 Brooklyn points. They stayed in the game because of Vincent and Goodwin, who made 11 of the Lakers’ 19 threes.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Lakers vs. Nets odds, line, prediction, start time: 2025 NBA picks, March 10 best bets from proven model
The Los Angeles Lakers will look to get along without star small forward LeBron James (groin), who may miss up to two weeks, when they battle the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. Los Angeles is coming off a 111-101 loss to Boston on Saturday, while Brooklyn dropped a 105-102 decision to Charlotte that same night. The Lakers (40-22), the third seed in the Western Conference, have won eight of nine. The Nets (21-42), who have lost seven in a row, are 9-21 on their home court. Luka Doncic (back) has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Los Angeles. Cam Thomas (hamstring) is among three players listed out for Brooklyn.
Tipoff from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The teams split their head-to-head series in each of the last five seasons, and Los Angeles posted a 102-101 win in their only meeting this season on Jan. 17. The Lakers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Nets odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 216.5. Before making any Nets vs. Lakers picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Lakers vs. Nets 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Nets vs. Lakers:
With James out, the Lakers will need Doncic to help carry the team on Monday, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle), Rui Hachimura (knee) and Jaxson Hayes (knee) also out for L.A. In 11 games with the Lakers, all starts, Doncic is averaging 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.8 steals in 33.5 minutes. In 33 total games on the year, he is averaging 27 points, 8.2 boards and 7.8 assists. He registered a double-double with 32 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals in a 113-109 overtime win over the New York Knicks on Thursday.
Also helping power the Los Angeles attack is shooting guard Austin Reaves. The third-year veteran is coming off a 16-point, three-rebound and two-assist effort in Saturday’s loss at Boston. He scored 23 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 27. In 55 games, all starts, he is averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 34.3 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Small forward Cameron Johnson (knee) missed Saturday’s game, but he is off the injury report for this one. He’s averaging 19 points per game and is shooting 47.5% from the field. D’Angelo Russell will look to pick up some of the scoring slack with Thomas and others ruled out.
The former Laker, acquired in a trade last month, poured in 28 points with seven assists and six rebounds in the loss to the Hornets on Saturday. In 20 games with the Nets, including 17 starts, Russell is averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 24.4 minutes. For the year, he has played in 49 games, including 27 starts, and is averaging 13.1 points, 5.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 25.5 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s model has simulated Nets vs. Lakers and is leaning Under the total, projecting 211 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread cashes in nearly 70% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Lakers vs. Nets on Monday, and which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Nets spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.
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