The Nets are an unserious basketball team and the Lakers took care of them quickly on Tuesday night. LA immediately got out in front and had twice as many points as Brooklyn had in the opening quarter.<\/p>\n
By halftime, the Lakers had 69 points, and this contest was over.<\/p>\n
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So, let\u2019s dive into the win<\/a>. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A \u201cB\u201d grade represents the average performance for that player.<\/p>\n LeBron James<\/p>\n 30 minutes, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 10-16 FG, 0-3 3PT, 5-7 FT, +24<\/p>\n If this was LeBron\u2019s last dance in Brooklyn, it was a wonderful waltz. He had some monster jams and dominated, especially in the first half.<\/p>\n Thanks to James\u2019 dominance, the crowd was cheering for the Lakers as if it were a home game.<\/p>\n Grade: A+<\/p>\n Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/p>\n 29 minutes, 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-18 FG, 4-11 3PT, 4-6FT, +19<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Luka, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Month<\/a> earlier on Tuesday, continues his elite 2026 with another solid performance on the road.<\/p>\n He came out aggressive with 14 points in the opening quarter and had some mesmerizing passes, including a no-look dime to Deandre Ayton.<\/p>\n Grade: A+<\/p>\n Deandre Ayton<\/p>\n 28 minutes, 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-5 FG, 1-2 FT, +16<\/p>\n Ayton wasn\u2019t as aggressive in this game, but it also wasn\u2019t really needed. He took only a handful of shots and converted most of them.<\/p>\n Grade: B<\/p>\n Marcus Smart<\/p>\n 18 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, +30<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Smart got a little trigger-happy in this game. With the result secured, the shot-chucking was less concerning than it typically can be.<\/p>\n Grade: C<\/p>\n Jake LaRavia<\/p>\n 22 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7-9 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-6 FT, +10<\/p>\n LaRavia started this game but was relegated to the bench to start the third quarter, with Austin Reaves back. Against the Nets, he was good, but a reserve role should be his position moving forward.<\/p>\n Grade: B+<\/p>\n Jaxson Hayes<\/p>\n 15 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3-3 FG, 3-4 FT, +8<\/p>\n Hayes was a bulldozer during his early shifts, just stuffing the ball in the hoop repeatedly. These kinds of plays are why he will be a participant in the Dunk Contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Grade: A-<\/p>\n Austin Reaves<\/p>\n 21 minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-9 FG, 1-5 3PT, 8-10 FT, +10<\/p>\n Reaves was noticeably rusty in his return, but that is expected. He\u2019s going to be just fine, and the fact that he is back is the most important aspect of this game.<\/p>\n Grade: B-<\/p>\n Rui Hachimura<\/p>\n 26 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3PT, -1<\/p>\n Hachimura got virtually no looks in this game. In other matchups, he has to be more involved in the offense. This was an unserious game, so less of an immediate concern and more something the team has to get right moving forward.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Grade: C-<\/p>\n Jarred Vanderbilt<\/p>\n 19 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-4 FT, +4<\/p>\n Okay defense and shooting from Vando in this one. It\u2019ll be interesting to see if Lakers head coach JJ Redick keeps him in the rotation once Reaves is fully back and not on a minutes restriction.<\/p>\n Grade: C-<\/p>\n Gabe Vincent<\/p>\n 16 minutes, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, -9<\/p>\n When Vincent doesn\u2019t score, it\u2019s really hard to justify playing him. It might be time for him to take a seat.<\/p>\n Grade: F<\/p>\n Drew Timme, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, Bronny James<\/p>\n None of these players were in the game for 10-plus minutes, so they will not be getting a grade.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n JJ Redick<\/p>\n Redick had the Lakers ready to dominate, and they took care of business early. It\u2019s still annoying to see the Lakers have another third quarter where they got outscored<\/a>, but you can kind of give them a pass in this instance.<\/p>\n Grade: B+<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s inactives: Adou Thiero, Chris Ma\u00f1on, Nick Smith Jr.<\/p>\n You can follow Edwin on Twitter at\u00a0@ECreates88<\/a>\u00a0or on Bluesky at\u00a0@ecreates88.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n