Brooklyn Nets’ valiant effort falls short vs. Lakers, inch closer in tank race

Credit to the fearless Brooklyn Nets fans who pushed through another late night, staying up into the early hours of Saturday to watch a team grind through the final game of a rough West Coast road trip.

On Friday, the Nets dropped their 10th straight, despite a valiant effort, falling 116-99 to the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers. With the loss, Brooklyn’s position in the race to the bottom didn’t change. They remain in second place in the Tankathon rankings, but they’re now only a single game out of the top seed.

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Brooklyn got off to a rough start off the opening tip, and LA took full advantage of it. Brooklyn opened the game by missing their first five attempts from beyond the arc, while the Lakers opened the game on a 15-4 run.

By the end of the first quarter, though, the Nets had settled in, trimming the deficit to five at 35-30. Josh Minott led the charge with eight points off the bench while knocking down two of his three attempts from 3-point range.

He ultimately finished the night with 18 points in 26 minutes, shooting 50% from the field and 44% from beyond the 3-point stripe. Since being acquired from the Boston Celtics in exchange for $110,000 in cash —the minimum required to complete a trade— and given an extended look, Minott has thrived in Brooklyn.

Prior to tonight, the 6’8” 23-year-old had averaged 13.6 points, three rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 24.2 minutes throughout his last five outings. He shot 51% from the field over that span while knocking down 15 of his 29 attempts from 3-point territory (51.7%).

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Entering halftime, the Nets were trailing by just two, 61-59.

Nic Claxton finished the half as the team’s leading scorer with 12 points on 86% shooting, adding five rebounds and a block while controlling the interior. Brooklyn closed the half with a jolt as first-round rookie Nolan Taoré drilled a 27-footer at the buzzer after an errant pass from Noah Clowney.

Traoré had nine points at the break, though it came on inefficient shooting (4-of-12 from the field, 1-of-4 from three). By the end of the night, he had contributed seven assists and four steals,…

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Publish date : 2026-03-28 06:45:00

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