Christmas game shows Nets, Lakers going opposite directions

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Entering this season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets were the teams.

They had enough star power combined to assemble an All-Star squad that could beat any combination of players from the other 28 teams in the NBA.

But Saturday's marquee Christmas matchup highlighted the opposite trajectories the teams have taken since their seasons began. The Nets have excelled amid adversity, while the Lakers have tanked.

Saturday had all the markings of a primetime Christmas game. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss wore a necklace made out of Christmas lights. The Laker Girls donned purple dresses and danced to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."

But much of the joy and anticipation of the evening were robbed by COVID-19 and injuries. Seven Nets players were out because of health and safety protocols, including superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, the Lakers were missing three players for the same reason, as well as superstar Anthony Davis, who recently suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee.

Both teams had one hand tied behind their backs.

But in the Nets' 122-115 win over the Lakers, it was crystal clear why they're the top team in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 22-9, while the Lakers are treading water, in seventh in the West at 16-18.

The Nets play like a team. The Lakers often play like there's superstar LeBron James ... and everyone else.

James was spectacular Saturday, finishing with 39 points on 56% shooting, nine rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes. It was the fourth game in a row in which he scored more than 30 points and his team lost.

The Lakers had two members of their Big Three on the court, but it sure didn't seem that way. Russell Westbrook had just 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting, including missing all three of his shots from beyond the arc, though he also finished with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in 37 minutes.

Here's the key stat of the night. When James was on the court, the Lakers outscored the Nets by nine points. When Westbrook was on the court, the Lakers were outscored by 23 points.

Lakers acting head coach David Fizdale had a suggestion for how the team could improve when James is off the court.

"We can clone him," Fizdale said. "You know any good scientists? We can maybe make a duplicate?"

Sure, it goes without saying that the Lakers have had a lot of bumps this season, so their record has to be taken with a grain of salt. James has missed 12 games due to abdominal and ankle injuries. Davis just missed his seventh game and is expected to be sidelined for at least another month. Westbrook is in his first season with the squad. Multiple other players have been in and out of the lineup because of COVID-19 and injuries.

But the Nets have had a ton of bumps, too. And for whatever reason, they've been able to thrive despite their challenges.

In fact, the Nets have been down one member of their Big Three all season because of Irving's vaccination status. The team recently announced that it will bring him back as a part-time player in road games.

On top of that, the Nets are coming off of having a league-high 10 players in health and safety protocols. Their past three games were postponed because they didn't have the league-required eight minimum players. Saturday marked their first game in a week.

Harden returned on Christmas from being quarantined for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19. In his first game back, he shined, with 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He didn't miss a beat despite, in his words, spending that time doing "a lot of nothing," including playing video games and binge-watching shows.

On Christmas, he did what a superstar is supposed to do in one of the premier games of the season. And considering that he was the only member of the Nets' Big Three available, his teammates did their part, too.

They stepped up. Patty Mills had 34 points on 11-for-17 shooting, including going 8-for-13 from beyond the arc and finishing with seven assists. Bruce Brown and DeAndre' Bembry combined for an efficient 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting, despite returning from health and safety protocols Saturday, too.

Then there was Nic Claxton, who made arguably the play of the game by posterizing James with a jam off a lob from Harden with 45 seconds left and the score tied at 115. He was fouled and made his free throw to complete the three-point play.

"They gave me everything they give every single night," Harden said of those three players. "Just playing hard, being in the right spots, being active."

Meanwhile, the team on the other coast hasn't been getting that type of help for its superstar. James, who is in his 19th season and turns 37 next week, has largely been on an island.

No one has consistently been able to help him. Not everyone is doing his part. There's no consistency and no chemistry.

Heck, even Fizdale feels bad for the old man.

"Oh my gosh, I'm kicking myself in the head because he's giving me incredible effort," Fizdale said of James. "Trying to figure out ways to get him over the hump with that effort, and I hate that it's wasted on losses."

The Lakers clawed their way back from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit behind James' play. He got help during that period from Malik Monk, who had 10 of his 20 points in the final 12 minutes. But Westbrook was scoreless.

It was too little, too late for the Lakers. They didn't have enough juice to complete a Christmas miracle. They didn't have enough firepower.

The two teams that were widely projected at the season's start to be championship contenders have had opposite journeys. The Lakers continue to sink into quicksand, despite James' efforts to haul himself and everyone around him out of the hole.

Meanwhile, the Nets are somehow managing to help one another navigate the landmines around them.

On Christmas, Nets coach Steve Nash left the arena with the best feeling a coach can have.

"Just a great performance from everybody," he said.

It's a statement the Lakers haven't been able to utter nearly enough this season.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.