Monday night marked the Los Angeles Lakers' first game without LeBron James, who's currently sidelined with a leg injury for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the inter-conference showdown didn't go in the Lakers' favor as JJ Redick's team fell 111-108 to the lowly Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Even though it's "only one game," a loss to a team like the Nets is inexcusable — especially with the NBA playoffs right around the corner. After the game was said and done, a pair of Lakers leaders made it clear that they have to be better in James' absence.
Lakers News: Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves Take Blame for Loss vs. Nets
With James out of the lineup, Lakers fans looked to Luka Doncic to step up against the Nets. Instead, the Slovenian superstar had yet another poor shooting performance, scoring only 22 points while shooting 8-of-26 (30.8%) from the floor and 3-of-10 (30.0%) from deep, prompting Doncic to admit that he could've done more during the post-game media scrum.
"Just should’ve made better decisions on that one," Doncic said, per Spectrum SportsNet. " I think we started the game doing a really good job, good decisions, and then just went kind of out of it... I think I should’ve helped more."
Acquired from the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline, Doncic's L.A. tenure has left much to be desired so far. While there's plenty of time for the 26-year-old sensation to get back on track, and it's exciting to see him in a Lakers jersey, his averages of 24.5 points on .399/.322/.747 splits in his first 12 games with the team have been disappointing, to say the least.
Speaking of disappointments, Lakers guard Austin Reaves has also been looking like a shell of his former self lately.
The 26-year-old veteran is currently in his worst shooting stretch of the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 11.8 points with a 27.9 FG% and 34.8 3P% in his last four outings. His performance against the Nets encapsulated that slump, ending the night with 17 points on .214/.200/.909 shooting splits.
Taking ownership of his abysmal performance after the game, Reaves made it clear that he has to be better as long as James is sidelined.
"I thought I played incredibly bad," Reaves said. "When Bron’s out, I gotta be better, and I wasn’t. That's one of the reasons we lost."
James, 40, is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but it's clear that his presence is crucial to any potential success the Lakers will see. According to Statmuse, Los Angeles only has a 43.5% win percentage (30-39) in the 69 games that the four-time NBA MVP has missed since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
The future Hall of Famer is continuing to defy Father Time this season, averaging 25.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds with a 51.7 FG% and 38.4 3P% in 58 appearances.
Hopefully, James' leg injury heals quickly so that he can get back on the hardwood to help the Lakers return to their winning ways. In the meantime, the Akron, OH native's teammates must step up in his absence if they want to own a higher conference seed once the postseason arrives.
As James heals up, the Lakers will head into the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season with the fifth-best NBA Finals odds (+1600) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
More Los Angeles Lakers News & Rumors
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.