LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Harden scored 23 points, Joe Harris added 21 with six three-pointers and the Brooklyn Nets routed the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 109-98 on Thursday night for their season-best fifth straight victory.
Kyrie Irving had 16 points and seven rebounds as Brooklyn easily won this matchup of NBA title contenders and improved to 4-0 on a five-game West Coast trip with Kevin Durant missing his third straight game with a strained left hamstring.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 15 points and hit five of the Nets’ 18 3-pointers,
LeBron James scored his 35,000th career point while getting 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder sat out for Los Angeles, leaving the defending champions without two of their top three scorers. Davis missed his second straight game after aggravating his strained right calf and Achilles last weekend. The Lakers also played without Schroder, a late scratch under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
