The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-106. Goodbye Lakers! With the Nets win tonight, the Lakers are officially eliminated from the playoffs. It’s the first time in 15 years the playoffs will not feature the league’s best player, and it could not be more bittersweet for D’Angelo Russell. You could not have drawn up a better scenario for Dlo, who loves to hurt the Lakers in every opportunity he gets against them. As a Nets fan, you can’t hate the Lakers too much though because they did give us D’Angelo. Contrary to Magic, us Nets fans do think that Dlo is a great leader on a playoff team. This game was a relatively uneventful, sloppy game. The Nets came out in front before they missed their final 7 shots of the first quarter. The Lakers outscored the Nets 23-20 in the first, but the Nets responded to outscore the Lakers 24-20 in the 2nd. Both teams struggled mightily in the first half, as they both shot under 35% from the field. The Nets built on their 1 point lead in the third quarter, outscoring LAL 34-30 in the 3rd. The Nets shots started to fall in the 3rd, and Joe Harris caught fire. The Nets and Lakers both scored 33 points in the 4th quarter, and the Nets were able to secure the victory. Dlo hit 2 clutch threes down the stretch for Brooklyn, while Dinwiddie closed out the game at the free throw line. The Nets completed the season sweep of the Lakers tonight, and gained a full game on the Miami Heat due to their loss to the Buck. Brooklyn is now only 0.5 games behind the Pistons for the 6th seed, and 2 games ahead of the Miami Heat in the 8th seed. This was a pivotal win for the Nets, as the next 2 games (at Portland, at Philly) on their schedule are brutal. The Nets knew they had to win this game, and they did just that. Dlo will defiantly remember this win for a while.

The Nets were led by the tandem of Joe Harris, D’Angelo Russell, and Spencer Dinwiddie. Joe Harris finished with 26 points on 8-15 shooting, including 6-8 shooting from deep. Joe had been slacking a little lately, and he responded in a big way tonight. Joe has also pretty much locked up the 3 point % crown, as he is shooting over 47% from three, and a 6-8 night only extended his lead more. D’Angelo Russell recorded a double double in his real return to the Staples Center. Dlo finished with 21 points and 13 assists on 8-20 shooting. Dlo was a little sloppy with the ball tonight (6 turnovers), but he did pass the ball exceptionally well. D’Angelo also hit back to back threes with just over 5 minutes remaining which helped secure the Nets win. Spencer Dinwiddie bounced back in a big way tonight, finishing with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Dinwiddie closed out the game for the Nets, and played well after struggling the past 2 games. Lastly, DeMarre Carroll (15 points and 6 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (13 points and 11 rebounds) played pivotal parts in the Nets’ victory.

The Lakers were led by the duo of Javale McGee and LeBron James. McGee had a monster game, recording a career high 33 points to go along with 20 rebounds. McGee was dominant in the paint all night long, and was unstoppable at catching lobs from LeBron. McGee also shot 15-20 from the field, which is very very good. LeBron had a near triple double, finishing with 25 points 14 assists and 9 rebounds. LeBron was his usual dominant self tonight, but he would probably like to forget the final minute of the game when he turned the ball over when the Lakers had a chance to tie the game. This was a forgettable game in a forgettable season for LeBron and the Lakers. I’m sure Magic is not pleased with being eliminated from playoff contention with about 8 games left in the season, so look for the Lakers to get a big time free agent in the offseason.

What’s Next?

Brooklyn travels to Portland to play the Trail Blazers on Monday night, while the Lakers remain home to play the Kings on Sunday night.

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