With an injured LeBron James sidelined for Los Angeles, Cameron Johnson scored 18 points, including a clutch foul-line jumper over Luka Doncic with 59.6 seconds remaining as the Brooklyn Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak by holding on for a 111-108 victory over the Lakers in New York.
Johnson made 6 of 14 shots on Monday, none bigger than the 14-footer he hit over Doncic to put the Nets ahead 106-100.
Johnson’s shot gave Brooklyn some breathing room when Doncic sank an open 35-foot 3-pointer off an inbounds play with 11.5 seconds left to bring Los Angeles within 108-106.
Following a three-point play by the Nets’ Noah Clowney, the Lakers’ Austin Reaves hit a layup with 3.2 seconds remaining, cutting the gap to three. Johnson then missed two free throws with 2.3 seconds left. The game ended when Doncic was well short on a 77-foot desperation 3-point heave.
Doncic recorded his second triple-double as a Laker by totalling 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists but shot 8-for-26.
Los Angeles struggled most of the final three quarters in the first game since James injured his left groin. Three other Lakers starters – Jaxson Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura – did not play against the Nets due to injury.
Gabe Vincent scored a season-high 24 for the Lakers, who shot 43.5 percent as a team while taking their second loss in a row. Rookie Dalton Knecht added 19, but Reaves made only 3 of 14 from the field and finished with 17 points and 10 assists.
Clowney led the Nets with 19 points and Keon Johnson finished with 18. Tyrese Martin contributed 14 and Nic Claxton chipped in 12 as the Nets shot 41.1 percent and overcame an early 15-point deficit.
Vincent scored 13 points while Doncic missed six of nine shots as the Lakers held a 28-16 lead through the opening quarter. The Nets outscored the Lakers 32-19 in the second and took a 48-47 lead into halftime after Cameron Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 66 seconds left.
Brooklyn took a pair of eight-point leads in the opening four minutes of the third. Following 12 lead changes, the Nets held an 81-79 lead into the fourth when Martin sank a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left.
The Nets took a 92-85 lead when Cameron Johnson easily went by Doncic for a dunk with seven minutes left. Three free throws by Reaves cut the lead to 97-95 with 3:51 but D’Angelo Russell hit a 3 with 91 seconds left to push Brooklyn’s lead to 104-98 before Johnson’s clutch hoop.
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