The Lakers imploded in the second half on Friday, suffering one of their worst losses of the season, falling to the Nets in a blowout.

In one of the most perplexing and frustrating games of the season, the Lakers produced one of their finest offensive halves before completely collapsing in the second half to one of the NBA’s worst teams in the last two weeks, losing 130-112.

The purple and gold scored 68 points in the first half, but then struggled in the second half, scoring only 44.

The big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell had strong scoring performances. They had a combined 70 points, 24 rebounds, and 19 assists. Jarred Vanderbilt had his finest offensive game of the season, tallying 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Austin Reaves struggled terribly, going 4-12 from the field and 0-6 from three, finishing with only nine points. The Lakers’ bench scored only 18 points before garbage time, with Vando accounting for the majority of them and Max Christie the rest. Rui Hachimura and Christian Wood went 0-11 from the field before garbage time.

The Lakers got off to a fast start. AD was already making his mark on the game defensively. D’Angelo’s offensive success continued as he made his first two 3-pointers. Cam Thomas, the Nets’ offensive weapon, came in and started making jumpers to stop the bleeding. The Lakers led the entire quarter, and the score was 37-28 at the end.

Former Laker Lonnie Walker came in and provided a spark for the Nets, scoring 10 points. The second quarter’s enthusiasm favored the Nets, but both teams struggled to make consistent shots. The Lakers countered whenever it appeared like the Nets were gaining any traction. LeBron scored 16 points in 15 minutes of play. The Lakers allowed the Nets to shoot 53%, keeping them in the game. The Lakers led 68-62 at halftime.

The Nets opened the third quarter, trimming the Lakers’ lead to two. Cam Johnson made it a one-point contest. Mikal Bridges sank a three-pointer to give the Nets their first lead of the game. The Lakers were struggling to refocus on the game. The Nets had all the momentum, but the Lakers began to respond, as Austin Reaves cut the Nets’ lead to two.

The Nets responded, extending their advantage to nine points. Vando hit two corner threes, but the Nets maintained their momentum and led by ten. At the end of the quarter, the Nets led 100-90.

The fourth quarter began with the Nets maintaining their strong momentum. LeBron received a technical penalty for complaining to the referees. The Lakers abruptly halted the bleeding and reduced the Nets’ advantage to 10 after they were about to expand it.

The Nets expanded their advantage to 18. The Lakers battled all night, unable to find any signs of spark. With five minutes left in the game, the phony comeback Lakers attempted to make an appearance. That didn’t matter, and the Lakers suffered their most humiliating defeat this season.

Key Takeaways: The Lakers’ lack of offensive intensity has been a recurring issue throughout the season, leading to significant losses.

The drop in quality from the first to the second half was unexpected, but not surprising given what we’ve witnessed all season. It’s pitiful that they played one of their finest attacking halves and then faltered in the second half.