LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Reaves scored a career-high 38 points, LeBron James had 29 and the Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-101 Friday night.
The Nets, who lost 126-67 to the LA Clippers on Wednesday night in a record 59-point loss, had a chance to win it, but D’Angelo Russell missed a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left. James got the rebound as the Lakers earned their second straight victory.
Reaves was 13 of 23 from the floor and 8 of 8 from the foul line. His previous career high was 35 points, accomplished twice, including on December 31 against Cleveland. Reaves had 15 points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers.
Russell, traded by the Lakers to the Nets, had 19 points in his first game against his former team as Zaire Williams And Tosan Evbuomwan scored 15 each.
Takeaways
Nets: Had a 49-15 scoring advantage on the bench, which included three players in double figures: Russell, Evbuomwan and Jalen Wilson (11).
Lakers: Reaves and James provided more than half of the Lakers’ points with Anthony Davis a late scratch due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Jaxson Hayes started in place of Davis and scored six points along with nine rebounds.
Key moment
Reaves had an alley-oop against James on a quick fast break to give the Lakers a 102-95 lead with 2:32 left. It ended up being their last basket of the game.
Key statistic
The Lakers were 12 of 19 shooting in the fourth quarter, including five 3-pointers.
To be continued
The Nets travel to Oklahoma City on Sunday to complete a six-game road trip, and the Lakers play at the Los Angeles Clippers.
