Resilient Nets best short-handed Lakers

Kyrie and 'Bench Mob' cruise to 121-104 victory at Barclays

January 31, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Nets' reserves made life a little easier on Kyrie Irving against the LeBron James-less Lakers Monday night in Downtown Brooklyn. AP Photo by Corey Sipkin

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Kyrie Irving had his career-best 30-point streak snapped Monday night in Downtown Brooklyn, but the Nets’ backups had more than enough for the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers.

Irving settled for 26 points — the first time he failed to reach at least 30 in seven games — grabbed seven rebounds and handed out six assists as Brooklyn overcame a second-half rally by the shorthanded Lakers for a 121-104 triumph in front of a sellout crowd of 17,924 at Barclays Center.

While some who descended on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush may have been disappointed that James (left-foot soreness) and Anthony Davis (rest) weren’t available, the Nets’ ‘Bench Mob’ took it upon themselves to lighten Irving’s load with Kevin Durant still nursing a right MCL sprain.

Patty Mills and Cam Thomas poured in 21 points apiece, Yuta Watanabe added 12 and Day’Ron Sharpe grabbed 14 boards as Brooklyn (31-19) won its second straight and improved to 4-6 since Durant went down to injury Jan. 8 in Miami.

“K’s not in the lineup … It’s going to leave opportunity for guys,” said Irving. “It makes my job easier. When we score 66 points off the bench, then I don’t have to put my head down in the fourth quarter and keep us in the game.”

Last year, the Nets went 5-18 during Durant’s absence with a left MCL sprain, but Mills believes Brooklyn is better equipped to deal with the absence of its best player this time around.

“I think from a big-picture standpoint we’ve just worked out how to navigate the ship, I guess,” he said. “And it definitely does feel a lot different than last year in that sense.”

Patty Mills scored 21 of Brooklyn’s 66 points off the bench Monday night as the Nets held off the Lakers. AP Photo by Corey Sipkin

Thomas Bryant scored 18 points and Russell Westbrook, rumored to be coming here last summer in a deal that would have sent Irving to Los Angeles, added 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists for the Lakers (23-28), who were down by 12 at the half but rallied in the third period.

“Every team is going to make a run, make shots. … The majority of the offense tonight for the Lakers was in transition,” noted Irving, who didn’t have Ben Simmons (knee) to feed him the ball.

“We just gotta do the little things that make us look good, defensively and offensively,” Irving added.

L.A. came out of intermission with a 14-0 burst and built a seven-point cushion before Brooklyn answered with 10 straight points to end the period to take an 85-82 lead.

Mills and Thomas made back-to-back 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to give the Nets a 93-85 advantage with 10 minutes to go.

From there, the Nets made sure the Lakers wouldn’t crawl back into it, leaving themselves some breathing room and some rest for Irving as they prepare to visit NBA-best Boston (36-15) Wednesday.

The Celtics not only swept Brooklyn out of the opening round of last year’s playoffs, but also have a 2-0 season-series advantage over the Nets going into this showdown.

But as far as Irving and the Nets are concerned, their collective focus has to be on themselves, not their opponent.

“We just take it game-to-game. The objective is the same every day, we prepare just to win basketball games,” he insisted.

Day’Ron Sharpe pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in the Nets’ victory over the Lakers Monday at Barclays Center. AP Photo by Corey Sipkin

NOTHING BUT NET: Following their visit the Beantown, the Nets will return to Brooklyn on Saturday to open a five-game homestand against the Washington Wizards. … The Nets will be shooting for their first three-game winning streak since a Brooklyn-best 12-game run from Dec. 7-Jan. 2., when they visit the Celtics. … T.J. Warren missed Monday’s game with a left-knee contusion, suffered in Saturday’s loss to Detroit. He remains listed as day-to-day, though head coach Jacque Vaughn indicated Monday that Durant may travel with his teammates to Boston to sit on the bench Wednesday.