The Brooklyn Nets were looking unstoppable on Wednesday night upon Kevin Durant’s return, just like his shooting percentage for that game. His squad wanted to continue that form against the defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, but things didn’t come easy despite the absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Dennis Schroder exploded for 19 points in the first half and Andre Drummond had a near double-double with 11 points and 8 rebounds. The Lakers also shot 44% from downtown, which is good look for their squad considering their circumstances.
Kyrie Irving (18 PTS ) and Kevin Durant (11 PTS, 4 ASTS, 4 REBS) had the answer for Brooklyn, but this wasn’t enough to get the lead at the half, as the Nets trailed by 3.
In the second half, things got really spicy when Dennis Schroder and Kyrie Irving got into a little scuffle that later led to them. both getting ejected. At that point in the game, the Lakers and the Nets were without their leading scorers.
Kyrie Irving and Dennis Schroder were both ejected after getting into it during the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/i2UEyKba3m
— ESPN (@espn) April 11, 2021
Los Angeles stomped all over Brooklyn just minutes after this altercation and the Nets didn’t stand a chance. Steve Nash even said at the beginning of the fourth quarter that “we don’t have the application to win this game.”
It was an overall great team effort by LA, but the signees in Drummond and Ben McLemore really stood out. Drummond finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while McLemore finished with 17 points. What a performance by the Lakers.