It was a potential preview of the NBA Finals, albeit with superstars on both sides apart from accidents. But nonetheless, Los Angeles Lakers goalie Dennis Schroder called Saturday’s 126-101 LA Battle of the Brooklyn Nets “the best win of the year.”
The Lakers played without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as Kyle Kuzma (left calf stalk), Wesley Matthews (right Achilles tightening) and Marc Gasol (left hamstring tightening), but led the Nets by up to 28 points to wins for the fifth time in the last eight games.
“As I said all the time, throughout the season, when we play scrappy on the defensive end, we always have a chance,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after LA held Brooklyn at 43.5% shooting and lowest total point in eight games. “I am very proud of our group.”
Not that Brooklyn would have been at its best, with James Harden (right hamstring) and Kevin Durant with a minute restriction, only in his second game back, after a prolonged hamstring injury. In addition, Kyrie Irving came into play with Schroder in the third quarter, and two were sent off.
However, the Lakers had general contributions, with eight players in the top of the season, who reached double-digit scores and the team best matched a season with 19 points of 3 points. In addition, Talen Horton-Tucker scored 11 assists in his career, Alfonzo McKinnie recorded a season-high nine rebounds, Markieff Morris scored a maximum of three steals, and Ben McLemore made five 3s in just the second game with team.
“We learned a lot from today’s game, that we have a lot of guys in this locker room who are very tough,” said Andre Drummond, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the strongest game since joining LA on market buyout last month. “Despite who is on the other side of the field, they will go out and play. No matter how many minutes the boys play, they will play to the best of their ability. And we have fun doing it. We had a lot of fun tonight playing and getting this victory “.
Drummond certainly seemed to be having fun when he drove and scored on LaMarcus Aldridge in the middle of the third quarter. Drummond made a mistake as he walked toward the circle, then dropped his hand to his knees in celebration, signaling that Aldridge was too small to guard him.
“It was a good basket,” Drummond said with a laugh. “This is my signature that I do when I score people and get an and-1, so nothing about LaMarcus intentionally. It’s just what I do. No matter who’s there, it happens.”
It seems that everything happened for LA after the run-in between Irving and Schroder, going on an extended period of 57-33 from that moment until there were only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Irving, a 10-year veteran, and Schroder, an eight-year professional, entered the first-round game, each playing more than 500 career games without ejection. That changed for both of us in the third quarter.
The pair exchanged words after Irving was called for a personal foul on Schroder with 9 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Lakers ahead 66-62, causing referee Zach Zarba to separate the two and issue a double technical foul. – one for each player.
Irving and Schroder continued to look at each other after teammates intervened to pass between them when Irving was called for a second technical foul by referee Tyler Ford, resulting in an automatic expulsion. Schroder was awarded a second technical foul shortly after referee Jason Goldenberg.
“I think it was useless,” Schroder said after the game. “It’s unfortunate that I left my team alone there. And I mean, I didn’t really know, nor do I know what I did. But I was fired and I apologized to my colleagues for that.”
Zarba later explained the officials’ decisions to a group reporter.
“After the first technical mistakes were assessed, both players were warned not to go any further,” he said. “And so, when Irving couldn’t help but shout at Schroder, the second technical foul was assessed and he was sent off. And after Irving is expelled, if you watch the video, Schroder says goodbye to him in an annoying way and that’s why he was issued a second technical and expelled foul. “
Irving did not speak to reporters after the loss, leaving it to his teammates to explain what happened.
“I was in the game, but I’m not going to blame the ejection for the reason the momentum changed,” said Durant, who scored 22 points in 24 minutes but also had eight turnovers. “They started, so we should have gone.”
The win brought the Lakers to a 2-1 record in the current five-game East Coast race.
“When you see the boys outside and you see a great opponent like the Nets, you can be a little overwhelmed and you are not sure if you will have the chance to win it. But you want to follow these things – guys mentality, “Vogel said.” And I knew that if we managed to triumph against this opponent, he would feel good and it would be one of the best victories of the year.
“So we’re happy about that.”