LOS ANGELES — In an up-and-down season where their record stands at a pedestrian 17-25 and out of both the playoffs and Play-In Tournament picture, the Brooklyn Nets showed a burst of what they are capable of.
Cam Thomas hit four triples on the way to 34 points while Nic Claxton and Mikal Bridges combined for 39 points to power the Nets past the Los Angeles Lakers, 130-112 at the Crypto.com Arena last Friday.
It was a terrific win for the Nets, who dropped a 68-point bomb in the second half to upset the Lakers on their home floor.
“We saw we have to get a litle physical on them and that’s what we did.” Thomas told reporters post-game. Once we got physical, the energy picked up.”
The huge W follows a disappointing previous two games where the Nets lost by a combined 3 points in Miami and Portland.
“They were able to get into a rhythm, shot the ball well from the perimeter and Cam Tomas had a thing going on,” said LeBron James on Thomas, who made 13 of 18 field goals. Thomas, the No.27 pick of the 2021 NBA draft, also had three rebounds and four assists.
Although Thomas carried much of the offensive load, the rest of the Nets were equally hot, hitting 50-of-95 field goals (52.6 percent) and 40 percent from 3 (19-of-47).
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers. LeBron James added 24 and 11 while D’Angelo Russell pitched in 20 points and seven assists.
