Nets eliminate Lakers from postseason contention
 

[March 23, 2019]  Joe Harris scored 26 points, and the visiting Brooklyn Nets made enough plays down the stretch Friday to earn a 111-106 victory over the Lakers, officially eliminating Los Angeles from postseason contention.

The Nets followed up their historic comeback win in Sacramento and improved to 2-3 on a season-high, seven-game road trip that continues Monday in Portland. Seventh-place Brooklyn (38-36) moved to within a half-game of the sixth-place Detroit Pistons and 2 1/2 games ahead of the eighth-place Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers lost their fifth straight, dropped to 2-12 in their last 14 games and will miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season. The loss officially ensured that LeBron James will miss the postseason for the first time since his second season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004-05.

Brooklyn's D'Angelo Russell added 21 points and 13 assists against his former team. Russell became the first Net to post three straight games with at least 20 points and 10 assists since Kenny Anderson in January 1994.

The Nets shot 40.2 percent from the floor in a game that featured 23 lead changes and 16 ties.

JaVale McGee led all scorers with career highs of 33 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 38.5 percent from the field. James finished one rebound shy of his 81st career triple-double, totaling 25 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

James also committed eight of the Lakers' 16 turnovers.

The Nets took the lead for good when Russell's 3-pointer made it 93-90 with 6:58 remaining. Brooklyn took a 107-99 lead on a layup by Harris with 2:48 remaining, but a 3-pointer by James made it 107-104 with 1:59 left.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo (9) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie (8) in the first half of a NBA game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers also were within 109-106 following two free throws by James with 53 seconds to go, and they had a chance to tie when Russell missed a 3-point attempt with 32.9 seconds left. The Lakers never got a shot off as James committed a turnover along the baseline while being guarded by Jarrett Allen, and the Los Angeles star appeared to come up a little gimpy.

After Dinwiddie split two free throws with 17.1 seconds left, James missed an off-balance 3-point try with 14.5 seconds remaining and Kyle Kuzma missed a 3-point attempt nine seconds later to essentially seal the win for Brooklyn.

Neither team scored in the final 2:42 of the first quarter, which ended with the Lakers holding a 23-20 edge. The Lakers took a 29-22 lead early in the second on a dunk by McGee, but the Nets held a 44-43 lead at halftime after two free throws by Dinwiddie with 7.9 seconds left.

Brooklyn took a 69-60 lead on a 3-pointer by Russell with 6:15 remaining in the third and held a 78-73 lead going into the fourth.

--Field Level Media

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