Spencer Dinwiddie hit a stepback jumper over Avery Bradley to put the Nets up 104-102 and that was enough as a wide-open 3-pointer by Anthony Davis clanked off the back rim to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while also setting up the potential game-winner for Davis, but the LeBron himself missed a close shot as well, as the Lakers lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Davis had 26 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, including a 3-pointer that tied the game at 102 in the 4th quarter. LeBron James also missed a game-tying layup seconds before the final shot for Davis.
The Lakers waited too long to rally and were done in by a scrappy Nets squad. Dinwiddie led the Nets with 23 points and seven assists while Caris LeVert had 22 points. The Nets also got big contributions off the bench from unheralded guards Chris Chiozza and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
The Lakers found themselves in an unexpectedly tough game against a short-handed Nets squad that just changed head coaches less than three days ago. After trailing in the first quarter, the Nets put a ton of pressure on the Lakers by taking an 87-80 lead into the 4th quarter and forcing the Lakers to play from behind.
Anthony Davis made a couple of big plays, including an offensive rebound and a putback to close the gap. LeBron James had a game-tying 3-point attempt go halfway down a few possessions later, setting up a furious final two minutes. A LeBron James layup cut the Nets lead to one point and after the Nets went up again by three, the Lakers were gifted two misses at the foul line by DeAndre Jordan. Then Anthony Davis hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 102 with 42.6 seconds left. But the one to win the game was just too long to keep a red-hot run going for the Lakers.
[lawrence-related id=28023,28008]