Austin Reaves was brutally honest in his postgame assessment after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 111-108 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, calling his own performance “incredibly bad” and taking full responsibility for his struggles. With LeBron James sidelined, Reaves acknowledged that he needed to step up but failed to deliver when his team needed him most.
“Yeah, I just thought I played incredibly bad. You know about as much as I can say about that just, it’s frustrating not helping your team win and you know when Bron’s out, I got to be better and I wasn’t and you know, that’s one of the reasons we lost.”
His stat line—15 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists—suggests he contributed across the board, but an abysmal 2-of-13 shooting night underscored his inefficiency, which proved costly in a tight game.
The Lakers looked poised to cruise to a win after leading by as many as 15 points, but sloppy execution and poor decision-making down the stretch allowed Brooklyn to claw back and steal a much-needed victory, snapping their seven-game losing streak.
Despite Luka Doncic’s triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists), he also struggled mightily with efficiency, shooting just 8-of-25 from the field and committing five turnovers. Meanwhile, Gabe Vincent stepped up with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to cover for the team’s overall offensive struggles.
One of the biggest problems for the Lakers was the disparity in bench production. The Nets’ reserves combined for 38 points, outscoring the Lakers’ bench, which only managed 26, with 17 of those coming from Jordan Goodwin alone.
The lack of scoring punch from the second unit put immense pressure on the starters to carry the offense, and when Reaves and Doncic weren’t at their best, it led to a stagnant offensive effort.
Turnovers were another major factor in the Lakers’ collapse. They gave the ball away 15 times, compared to Brooklyn’s seven, giving the Nets extra possessions and easy transition opportunities.
Head coach JJ Redick was visibly frustrated after the game, calling out his team for their lack of communication and effort. He specifically criticized how the team executed against Brooklyn’s defensive blitzes, which forced bad passes and inefficient possessions.
Luka Doncic took ownership of the team’s communication struggles, acknowledging that it wasn’t up to standard and that as the leader on the floor in LeBron’s absence, he needed to be better. However, beyond communication issues, Doncic also expressed his frustration with the officiating, hinting that the Lakers were on the wrong end of several calls.
The Lakers only shot two free throws in the first half compared to Brooklyn’s 16, and though officiating wasn’t the primary reason for their loss, it certainly didn’t help.
With LeBron James expected to be out for at least another week due to his groin injury, the Lakers don’t have much time to dwell on their mistakes. They continue their road trip with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, where they will face a team looking to capitalize on their struggles.
If the Lakers want to maintain their position near the top of the Western Conference standings, they will need Reaves and Doncic to elevate their play and avoid costly mistakes like the ones that doomed them in Brooklyn.
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