LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic slammed his hand against a small television monitor in frustration after missing a layup, knocking it to the floor for an usher to recover. He covered his face in shame after missing a floater on what could have been a three-point play after absorbing contact. The Slovenian star shook his head in disdain after whiffing on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key, the ball falling well short of the rim.
And this was on a night when Doncic scored 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting (5 for 10 from 3-point range) as the Lakers staved off the Brooklyn Nets, finally pulling away for a 116-99 win on Friday night, their 11th victory in 12 games. Doncic has scored at least 30 points in 16 consecutive games since March 5, the league-leading 43rd time he’s done so this season, and he’s now scored at least 40 points 15 times, including six times this month.
Austin Reaves scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, his surge helping dismiss a pesky Nets squad (17-57) that, much like the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, gave the Lakers a stiffer challenge than expected. Reaves made back-to-back 3-pointers to buoy a 9-2 run as the Lakers started to nudge the game out of reach. Reaves’ third 3-pointer of the fourth gave the Lakers (48-26) a 103-94 lead and they closed it out from there in the opener of a three-game homestand after they spent more than a week on the road.
Brooklyn led as late as 9:04 left in the fourth when Nets guard Ben Saraf stole an errant pass from Reaves and deposited a dunk on the other end for a 90-89 lead. But the Lakers have become adept at bend-but-don’t-break basketball. And Friday was more of the same, as they outlasted a Nets team that had 26 more field goals attempts. Brooklyn shot 41.7% from the field, but the Lakers shot 54.2%.
Friday night wasn’t without Doncic drama, however. Doncic, who skirted a one-game suspension last week after a verbal tussle with Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze led to what ended up being a rescinded 16th technical foul, might not be as lucky this time. After the Nets took a 75-74 lead in the third quarter after Ziaire Williams threw down a dunk, Doncic committed an offensive foul when he pushed through a screen from the Brooklyn forward on the following inbounds play.
In the aftermath, Doncic pushed Williams in the lower back, and Williams responded by striking Doncic with a backhanded swing. The officials called a double technical – which would trigger a one-game suspension for Doncic, to be served Monday against the Washington Wizards. If the 16th technical foul stands, it will be the first time in Doncic’s career that he has reached 16 in the regular season.
The Nets played the final five minutes with just one of their starting five on the court, leaving Williams (16 points) and forward Nic Claxton (16 points) on the bench. Josh Minott led the Nets with 18 points on Friday.
Brooklyn scored just 15 points in the fourth quarter and nine over the final nine minutes, slipping below Washington for second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference with its 10th straight loss and 20th in their past 22.
_More to come on this story._