Lopez's late spree powers Nets past Lakers
NEW YORK -- Brook Lopez scored eight of his 20 points in the final seven minutes as the Brooklyn Nets did enough down the stretch to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-97 Wednesday night.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets (7-17) with 23 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 22, but it was Lopez who did a bulk of the heavy lifting to give the Nets the win.
Lopez hit 5 of 16 shots through three quarters, but in a span of 89 seconds, he converted three layups to push a slim 93-92 lead to 99-94 with 5:17 remaining. About three minutes later, Lopez hit two free throws for a 104-96 lead, and the Nets gradually sealed the game.
Reserve Lou Williams led the Lakers (10-18) with 16 points, Nick Young added 14, and Timofey Mozgov and Julius Randle had 12 apiece. D'Angelo Russell was held to 11 points and shot 2 of 10 in his third game back from a sore knee.
The Lakers lost their eighth straight by shooting 38.5 percent and misfiring on 12 of their final 13 shots after getting a 92-91 lead on a layup by Larry Nance Jr with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining.
Trevor Booker collected a season-high 18 rebounds for the Nets, who held a commanding 61-49 edge on the glass. Reserve Joe Harris added 11 points as Brooklyn improved to 5-13 without Jeremy Lin, who sat out due to lower back tightness.
Before Lopez made plays in the final seven minutes, the Nets blew a nine-point halftime lead. The Lakers appeared to be poised to pull away by taking a 70-65 lead on a 3-pointer by Young but settled for a 76-75 edge after three quarters following a Williams fadeaway.
NOTES: G Jeremy Lin (lower back tightness) was a game-time decision, and about an hour before the opening tip, the Nets ruled him out. ... Lakers coach Luke Walton said he was told by the team's training staff that F Nick Young does not need his minutes restricted any longer. Young played 30 minutes Wednesday. ... Walton was fined $15,000 for verbally abusing a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner after his ejection in the first quarter of Monday's loss at Sacramento. "That's their decision," Walton said. ... Los Angeles F/C Tarik Black (sprained right ankle) and G Jose Calderon (strained right hamstring) did not play but might practice Thursday. ... Nets C Justin Hamilton was available after missing Monday's game in Houston with a migraine. He did not get off the bench Wednesday, however.