The Lakers had led most of the way and were ahead 66-62 when Irving fouled Schroder with 9:41 left in the third. Los Angeles blew it open soon after the ejections with a 15-2 burst to open an 88-71 lead. A potential NBA Finals preview had a preseason feel with so many top names unavailable.
In addition, Talen Horton-Tucker had a career-high 11 assists, Alfonzo McKinnie had a season-high nine rebounds, Markieff Morris had a season-high three steals and Ben McLemore made five 3s in just his second game with the team. "I learned a lot from today's game, that we have a lot of guys in this locker room that are very tough," said Andre Drummond, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his strongest game since joining L.A. from the buyout market last month.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving and Los Angeles Lakers floor general Dennis Schroder were assessed double technicals and ejected for trash-talking during their game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday: Irving had never been ejected before during his NBA career. He has been in the NBA since 2011. Irving tossed his jersey to fans as he left for the locker room, per Chris Milholen of NetsDaily.
W | L | Pct | GB | |
---|---|---|---|---|
37 | 15 | .712 | 0.0 | |
36 | 18 | .667 | 2.0 | |
33 | 20 | .623 | 4.5 | |
25 | 28 | .472 | 12.5 | |
22 | 31 | .415 | 15.5 |