NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (13-36) are looking to pull off an upset after a tough five-game road trip in which they took some hits at the hands of their opponents. With LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (30-19) coming to Barclays Center, Brooklyn had a chance to beat James in his final game with the Nets, but Los Angeles had too much.
On Tuesday, the Nets trailed by as many as 39 points in the game, losing 125-109 to the Lakers as Luka Doncic and LeBron James did whatever they wanted on the court. Forward Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 points and 10 rebounds, but he shot 7 of 18 from the field and 0 of 9 from beyond the arc. Substitute center Daron Sharpe had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and substitute forward Ziaire Williams had 17 points and 3 assists.
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James played a game that Lakers fans were happy to see. He scored 25 points and 7 assists, while Doncic also scored 24 points and 5 assists, proving that he is difficult to defend. While Brooklyn trailed by a wide margin, it was nice to see them show some fight at the end of the first half. Here are the Nets players’ scores after Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers:
Nolan Traore: C+
Traore remains the starting point guard, most of the rotation is healthy, and he’s been solid after dealing with some early turnover issues. Traore, like the rest of the young defenders on the team, still needs to learn how to choose his attacking positions, but he also has to build strength and become a better defender when attacking.
Yegor Demin: C-
Deming remained as the starting shooting guard, and after shooting early in the game, his shooting, especially from three-point range, faded away. Deming has proven he’s a better shooter than most gave him credit for before the draft, but he’s clearly taking more shots at the rim, which is encouraging even if he’s missing those layups so far.
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Michael Porter Jr.: B-
Porter shot well overall to start this game, although he struggled to shoot from behind the three-point line, which is different from his shooting characteristics. Porter created some shots for himself in the mid-range while also doing some damage with his impressive drives to the rim, but opposing teams seemed daring to allow Brooklyn to create offense outside of Porter getting open shots.
Noah Clooney: C
Clowney returned to the lineup after missing the entire five-game road trip with a back injury, and while he struggled from distance, he finished well around the rim. Clowney does a decent job rebounding, but hopes his three-point shooting can be consistent when teams give him good looks from three.
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Nick Claxton: C-
Claxton finished well at the rim, but his scoring seemed similar to what happened when the Pistons lost to the Pistons, where he barely saw the ball after the first quarter. Whether it’s intentional or just something that happens in the flow of the game, Claxton is typically more involved on the offensive end, and his lack of involvement could impact his efforts to rebound and protect the rim.
Ziaire Williams: B
Williams has missed the past three games with a calf injury, but he looks ready to play as he enters this game, as evidenced by his activity on both ends of the floor. Williams does a great job scoring the ball overall, and with his tenacity on the defensive end, he could potentially play a bigger role off the bench if his three-point shooting drops.
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Danny Wolfe: B-
Wolfe had a tough time shooting this one as he couldn’t get anything going, especially from 3-point range, although he got some open looks from Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas. Wolfe is usually more active on the boards, but due to the nature of this game that turned into a blowout early on, he also didn’t play as much as he normally would.
Daron Sharpe: A
In this one, Sharp almost automatically finished at the rim as he took advantage of a Lakers team that didn’t have much size outside of Deandre Ayton and Jackson Hayes. Sharpe notched another double-double with his relentless work on both sides of the ball and once again showed off his quick hands in defending the passing lanes.
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Cam Thomas: C
Although Thomas struggled with three-point shooting, his overall scoring was solid as he was able to get to the best spot on the court most of the time. Thomas struggled with turnovers due to how Los Angeles defended the pick-and-roll, but Thomas showed off his scoring ability while taking mostly good shots in areas where he excels.
Derek Powell: F
Powell didn’t play much in this game, despite a blowout early in the game, which could be a sign that Powell isn’t currently on good terms with head coach Jordy Fernandez. Fernandez has been tough on rookies this season, and Powell has a habit of getting off to poor starts, so Fernandez may be trying to send a message to Powell.
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Ben Saraf: C
Despite both Yegor Deming and Nolan Traore being active, Saraf saw significant minutes in this game and struggled to get his shot off most of the time despite being open most of the time. The good news is that despite the pressure the Lakers put on the perimeter, Saraf handled the ball well, but he also handled it well.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. scores 21 points in 125-109 loss to Lakers
