Having seen their winning streak come to an end last time out, the Los Angeles Lakers will set out to get themselves back on track when they visit the Barclays Center on Tuesday to face off against the Brooklyn Nets.
Off the back of only one win from their most recent nine involvements since returning from the All-Star hiatus, the home side could also do with a victory in this one.
Match preview
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In a clash between the two most successful franchises in NBA history, the Lakers fell well short of the challenge posed by the Boston Celtics courtesy of a 111-101 defeat when the teams went head-to-head at TD Garden on Sunday.
Despite a rough shooting percentage in the second quarter, JJ Redick's men went into the interval trailing by just four points, but a slow start to the second half saw that margin extended by 16 which left them with too much to do in the final 12 minutes.
Albeit all to no avail this time around, Luka Doncic and LeBron James enjoyed another excellent outing as they combined for 56 points, 22 rebounds on 12 assists with James only one assist shy of recording a triple-double.
The Lakers have now dropped to third in a keenly-contested Western Conference, where second-placed Denver Nuggets and seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves are separated by just five victories.
Following a mini bump in the road last time out, a chance to secure an immediate return to winning ways now awaits the 17-time champions against an opposing outfit who have been beaten in the last two editions of this fixture, most recently a nail-biting 102-101 defeat back in January.
With road clashes against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets to follow Tuesday's trip, the visitors will be confident of getting the job done in New York having not lost consecutive games away from home since January 20.
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For the second game running, the Brooklyn Nets had little reward to show for a highly spirited display as they fell to a 105-102 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets in Sunday's encounter at the Spectrum Center.
Jordi Fernandez's men raced to a 15-point lead after the opening 24 minutes of action and were ahead up until the final 94 seconds of action, during which Moussa Diabate knocked down a clutch shot to turn the game on its head.
In an otherwise disappointing outing for the Nets, their only silver lining was D'Angelo Russell's 28-point display, which marked his personal best since returning to New York from the Los Angeles Lakers.
As he prepares to take on his former employers for the first time since the February trade deadline, Russell will undoubtedly be keen to get one over the Lakers and potentially reignite his side's chance of securing a play-in spot.
With games against the current top two sides in the East to come in two of their next three outings following Tuesday's affair, the hosts are set for a daunting run of fixtures and will need to come out guns blazing if they are to stand any chance of coming away unscathed.
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Team News
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Cameron Johnson is one of only two injury concerns for the Brooklyn Nets here after missing the defeat to the Hornets last time out due to a niggling knee problem.
De'Anthony Melton, meanwhile, is a guaranteed absentee for the home side having suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament back in November and is ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Los Angeles Lakers' Maxi Kleber is still unavailable due to a foot surgery he underwent in early February, and the German is still at least about three weeks from potentially returning to full fitness.
Rui Hachimura also misses out through a left patellar tendinopathy, while LeBron James is ruled out with a groin problem he sustained in the final knockings of the game against the Celtics.
Jaxson Hayes missed the aforementioned match with a knee problem, and it remains to be seen if the center will be fit enough to take part in Tuesday's clash.
Brooklyn Nets possible starting five:
Russell, Thomas; Johnson, Williams; Claxton
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting five:
Doncic, Vincent; Reaves, Finney-Smith; Vanderbilt
We say: Lakers to win by 8+ points
Even with the absence of LeBron James, the Lakers have more than enough to see off a struggling Nets outfit, and we fully expect them to come out on top at the sound of the final buzzer.
Adepoju Marvellous
