The Nets trailed the Lakers by one entering the fourth quarter Friday night at Crypto.com Arena. Then their starters barely touched the floor. Nic Claxton played zero fourth-quarter minutes. Ziaire Williams played zero. Noah Clowney played zero in his return from injury. Nolan Traoré played two. Drake Powell played four, all in garbage time.
The Los Angeles Lakers took full advantage, turning a one-point game into a 17-point finish in a 116-99 loss that dropped Brooklyn to 17-57.
For a Nets team grinding through the final game of a rough West Coast trip, it was another night that captured the push-and-pull of this season. Brooklyn competed. Brooklyn hung around. Brooklyn also walked out with another loss, and at this stage, that’s not exactly an accident.
The Nets opened the game missing their first five 3-point attempts, and the Lakers pounced with a 15-4 run. It looked like it could get away early. Instead, Brooklyn settled in and traded punches. By the end of the first quarter, the Nets had trimmed it to 35-30, with Josh Minott leading the charge off the bench with eight points while hitting two of his three 3-point attempts.
Minott kept building from there. He finished with 18 points in 26 minutes, shooting 50% from the field and 44% from deep. And with Brooklyn giving him an extended look, he’s been producing. Over his previous five outings entering Friday, the 6-8 forward had averaged 13.6 points, three rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 24.2 minutes, while shooting 51% from the field and 15-for-29 from behind the arc.
The Nets trailed 61-59 at halftime, with Claxton leading them with 12 points on 86% shooting, plus five rebounds and a block. The half ended with a jolt when Traoré drilled a 27-footer at the buzzer after an errant pass from Clowney. Entering the fourth, Brooklyn trailed 85-84 after outscoring the Lakers 25-24 in the third quarter.
But the Lakers responded late with a quick 10-2 burst that created separation and held it. Luka Doncic finished with 41 points in 39 minutes. Austin Reaves had 26, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
Williams finished with 16 points in 25 minutes, plus two rebounds, two assists and three steals. The points extended his career-long streak to five straight games with at least 15. The steals extended his career-long streak to 14 straight games with a steal.
With all of that, Brooklyn still left with a loss that mattered to the standings and the bigger picture. They have a pair of young wings continuing to emerge, and their contracts are team friendly. Minott has a team option for $2.5 million next season, while Williams has a team option for $6.2 million. Both will be unrestricted free agents in 2027-28.