Lakers turn Barclays Center into Crypto.com Arena in landslide win against Nets

James Johnson didn’t see what happened the first time around, but the second time was hard to ignore.

One defensive possession after failing to intercept a James Harden pass that led to a wide-open Johnson three, LeBron James picked off a pass and took it the length of court before finishing with a windmill that blew the top off the Barclays Center.

And then he did it again.

This time it was Johnson who threw the poor pass that James intercepted – yet another possession that ended in an uncontested LeBron fastbreak dunk.

Yet another possession that got the Barclays Center crowd – painted in purple and gold – off its collective feet. Yet another possession that underscored why the Nets, shorthanded and all, deserved what they got: a 106-96 loss to the Lakers in a game where fans cheered their opponent all night.

“He’s one of the best IQ players that matches athleticism,” said Johnson after the game. “He read it, got it and the rest was LeBron.”

Here’s what Barclays Center and Los Angeles’ newly-minted Crypto.com Arena have in common: blockchain technology, and fans who cheer for the Lakers. The crowd didn’t start filling closer to its capacity until several minutes in the fourth quarter. For a brief moment, it felt like the Nets indeed played a game in the metaverse.

That was until the superstars got to shining: Harden played one of his best games of the season – 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting to go with 11 assists and 12 rebounds – but without Kevin Durant (out indefinitely with an MCL sprain), without Kyrie Irving (unvaccinated) and without Joe Harris (ankle surgery setback), the Nets simply didn’t have the firepower to compete.

Especially not against a Lakers team with their three stars finally healthy.

Tuesday night was all about LeBron, even if it was Anthony Davis’ first game back since spraining his MCL on Dec. 17. For Nets fans looking for a concrete timeline for Durant’s injury, Davis returned after about six weeks of rehab).

Despite Harden’s attempted heroics, James reigned supreme as The King of Brooklyn, even if just for one regular-season night. Fans cheered James from the moment he threw powder into the air as part of his pregame ritual, ooooh’d and ahhhh’d in anticipation every time he touched the ball and cheered The King as if he was their own from buzzer to buzzer.

James finished with 33 points on 14-of-21 shooting to go with seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks, but those back-to-back interceptions encapsulated a night where the Nets made far too many mistakes against a stacked opponent given their lack of firepower.

The Nets turned the ball over 18 times, helping the Lakers score 27 points in transition, including 20 in the first half.

“Sure we were missing guys and they had their full complement, but I thought we lacked a little bit of attention to detail too often to cut the gap, and our margin for error on a night like tonight is tight, and I think that was probably the biggest thing,” said Nash, who gave his team a pass for their poor performance because several players were unfamiliar playing with one another. “Sometimes that connectivity and cohesion isn’t quite there, but still we can do better as far as the details and I think that was probably the difference was why we couldn’t close the gap completely or stay level with them.”

On the possession following the intercepted passes, LeBron found himself in a one-on-one matchup with third-year forward Nic Claxton and spun the ball back to himself before turning his back to Claxton.

He settled for his signature side-step three that ricocheted off the left side of the rim, but the sequence was a clear example of how little respect the Lakers had for their opponent.

And how could the Lakers have taken the competition seriously? The Nets were short-handed, and their home-court advantage flipped on its head.

It may have sounded like the Nets were on the road and the Lakers were at home on Tuesday night, but in truth, the Nets would have preferred to play on the road: At least then, Kyrie Irving would have been available to play.

Irving, who is unvaccinated, cannot play at Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and with Durant out indefinitely with an MCL sprain, the brunt of the team’s scoring and playmaking responsibilities land squarely on Harden’s shoulders.

So does a defense’s attention, and when the role players aren’t hitting shots, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Nets to hang in games against quality opponents. Patty Mills scored 15 points and DeAndre Bembry scored 12, but no other Nets made an impact on the game.

James used his greatness on defense, too: He neutralized LaMarcus Aldridge on a number of possessions and helped hold him to just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field.

And he was cheered for that defense, just he and his teammates were cheered all night. Fans in attendance gave a roaring ovation every time Carmelo Anthony touched the ball. Anthony shot just 4-of-10 from the field for 13 points off the bench, but the crowd held its collective breath then exploded in excitement as he went to work and scored in the high post.

You could hear the small yet faithful contingent of fans cheering “Let’s Go Nets” in the backdrop all night, but they were drowned-out by the sheer size of Laker faithful that showed for Tuesday night’s game. In fact, the Nets are lucky six of their next seven games are on the road, because that’s six games they’ll have Irving to help Harden shoulder the load.