Lakers Look to Bounce Back Without LeBron Against Slumping Nets

The Los Angeles Lakers (38-28) will be without LeBron James when they visit the Brooklyn Nets (23-43) on Monday, as James is set to miss at least a week due to a left groin strain. The injury occurred late in Saturday’s 111-101 loss to the Boston Celtics, halting the Lakers’ eight-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Brooklyn enters the matchup in a freefall, dropping seven straight games for the second time this season.

Lakers Adjust to Life Without LeBron

James’ absence is a significant blow, but Los Angeles has gone 3-1 this season without him. The Doncic-James pairing has been lethal (8-3 together), but Doncic will now shoulder the load for an offense missing its leader.

Doncic has been on fire, averaging 24.7 points per game since joining L.A. in last month’s blockbuster trade. He dropped 34 points against Boston, including 14 in the fourth quarter, attempting to rally the Lakers from a 22-point deficit.

“Obviously, to get injured at this time, those (groin) injuries are tough to deal with,” Doncic said. “So, just take his time. And we got to have as a team a next-man-up mentality.”

The Lakers face a tough upcoming stretch, with road games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets before returning home for a five-game stand.

James, who has averaged 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists this season, suffered the injury while defending a layup from Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter. He grimaced in pain, struggled to walk to the bench, and was escorted to the locker room by trainers.

“It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, we have to play our game,” James said. “We’ve had guys in and out all year. Nothing changes.”

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Brooklyn in Freefall After Blown Leads

While the Lakers are adjusting to losing a key player, the Nets are battling their own dysfunction.

Brooklyn blew a 22-point lead in Thursday’s 121-119 loss to Golden State and collapsed late against Charlotte on Saturday, squandering a 17-point advantage in a 105-102 defeat.

D’Angelo Russell led Brooklyn with 28 points against Charlotte but failed to score in the final seven minutes as the Nets collapsed down the stretch.

“We had the lead and we were not responsible to finish the game,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “You could tell our energy and engagement was up and down. That’s immature.”

Brooklyn, which allowed just 97.8 points per game during a 7-2 stretch, has given up 117.8 points per game during this latest losing streak.

The Nets lost to the Lakers 102-101 on Jan. 17, during their first seven-game skid. They will need to find consistency and execute late if they want to snap their slump.

Game Outlook & Prediction

The Lakers have enough firepower with Doncic leading the charge, but Brooklyn’s struggles closing out games could be the deciding factor.

If L.A. can get solid performances from Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, they should be able to take care of business on the road.

Prediction: Lakers 110, Nets 102

Can Doncic guide the Lakers without LeBron, or will Brooklyn finally close out a game and snap their losing streak? All eyes will be on Monday’s showdown.