Luka Doncic, Reaves Called Out by Fans as Lakers Lose to Nets with LeBron James Out

With an injured LeBron James sidelined, the Los Angeles Lakers fell 111-108 to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves struggled to step up in his absence.

The Lakers fell to 40-23, snapping their three-game winning streak, while the Nets improved to 22-42.

In James’ absence, Doncic recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists but struggled from the field, shooting 8-of-26. Reaves added 17 points but also had a rough shooting night, going 3-of-14. Gabe Vincent stepped up, leading the Lakers with 24 points.  

On the other side, Cameron Johnson contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Keon Johnson added 18 points and three rebounds for Brooklyn.  

Fans reacted by calling out Reaves, Doncic and the Lakers' reserves as the team dropped its first game without James to the Nets.

LeBron James suffered a groin injury during the Lakers' 111-101 loss to the Boston Celtics and is expected to be sidelined for one to two weeks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Despite James' absence, the Lakers got off to a hot start, outscoring the Nets 28-16 in the first quarter behind a standout performance from Vincent, who posted 13 points in the opening period.  

Brooklyn battled back in the second, scoring 32 points while holding Los Angeles to 19, with Cameron Johnson contributing eight points to help the Nets take a narrow 48-47 lead into halftime.  

Out of the break, Knecht and Doncic each stepped up with eight points a piece, but Brooklyn maintained a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.  

The Lakers fell behind by as many as seven points before responding with a 6-0 run to stay within striking distance. Despite Doncic cutting the lead to two with a deep 35-foot three-pointer, an and-one foul by Vincent pushed Brooklyn’s lead back up to five.

A last-ditch effort from Reaves, who converted a layup with three seconds left, brought the Lakers within three. However, a defensive breakdown after Cameron Johnson missed two free throws sealed their fate, as Doncic's full-court heave fell short to close out the game.

The Lakers will seek redemption as they face the 36-27 Milwaukee Bucks on the road.