On Wednesday night in Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Lakers (10-17) look to snap a seven-game losing streak on game no. 2 of their marathon seven-game road trip. The Lakers' opponents, the Brooklyn Nets (6-17), have lost five of their last six games, including a 125-118 defeat at Staples Center on Nov. 15.
On that night, Julius Randle recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 10 assists and 14 rebounds, while point guard D'Angelo Russell scored 32 points and hit 7-13 from three-point range.
Russell, who has been on a minutes restriction since returning from knee soreness that sidelined the point guard for 12 total games, played 20 minutes on Monday night in Sacramento and hit six of his 10 shots, including three of his four three-point attempts. The Lakers have sorely missed Russell's shooting and chemistry on the court.
With the Lakers struggling, Brooklyn is a welcome sight. Since the Nets moved out of New Jersey, the Lakers have won three of their four games in the borough made famous by rappers like the Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. A season ago, a winless Lakers' team entered the Barclay's Center and collected its first win of the season.
Hurting LA's chances, the Lakers continue to be without backup center Tarik Black and backup point guard Jose Calderon, and neither of the hobbled Lakers took part in the team's shootaround session on Wednesday morning in New York. Lakers coach Luke Walton, who was ejected from Monday's game in dramatic fashion, said he was hopeful that the injured duo could return for the scheduled practice session in Philadelphia on Thursday, though the coach did not appear to have any set expectations.
For the Nets, former Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin returned on Monday after missing six weeks. Lin played 20 minutes and recorded 10 points and seven assists against one of his other former teams, the Houston Rockets. Lin played off the bench on Monday, though his sharpness may force the 28-year-old back into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
The Lakers and Nets tip-off at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
