Let's start with the bad: The Los Angeles Lakers (16-18) have lost five straight games for the first time since March of 2019 after their frenzied comeback bid fell short against the Brooklyn Nets.

In the first game on the Crypto.com court, the Lakers nearly summoned a Christmas miracle, yet were ultimately thwarted, 122-115, by a Nets squad without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and with more players in health and safety protocols than the Lakers.

Russell Westbrook recorded his seventh triple-double of the season. Yet, he missed 16 of 20 shots, including numerous bunnies. (There were also defensive miscues.) Talen Horton-Tucker was ineffective (a troubling trend). The Lakers are winless since Anthony Davis went down. LeBron had to play 40 minutes, and his team was -16 in the eight minutes he rested.

The Lakers were, once again, plagued by inconsistency and dug themselves a hole early on.

“It was a tale of quarters,” Lakers interim head coach David Fizdale said afterward. Indeed, he's correct:

  • 1st quarter: Brooklyn 38, Lakers 23
  • 2nd quarter: Brooklyn 29, Lakers 38
  • 3rd quarter: Brooklyn 36, Lakers 20
  • 4th quarter: Brooklyn 20, Lakers 33

The good: the Lakers surged in the fourth quarter and nearly erased a 23-point deficit.

Losing five games in a row is never excellent (the Lakers haven't done so since March of 2019). That said, here are five positive takeaways from the latest wild evening in downtown Los Angeles.

1) Malik Monk is back

Despite spending the last 10 days in COVID-19 protocols, Monk was sharp as a tack. His energy was vital for all 35 of his minutes, and he provided 20 massive points off the bench.

“Just fantastic,” Fizdale said of Monk's performance. “He really gave us a huge, huge boost tonight.”

2) Stanley Johnson has a role

Stanley Johnson grew up in Orange County. He revered the Lakers and Angelenos like Westbrook and James Harden.

On Saturday, playing his first game for his hometown team and on the same court as his idols, Johnson shined.

https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1474961553036173313

Johnson was signed on Friday to a 10-day contract (he began the season with the South Bay Lakers, so he knows the system a bit). 24 hours later, his defensive prowess and physicality proved difference-making.

It didn't take long for Johnson to establish himself as the best option against Harden. It may not take much more time for the Lakers to determine that should he stick around.

Johnson's physique is staggering in person (he's jacked), and, of course, he's competing for job security. However, once he was on the court, the value of having another defensive-minded, above-average athlete on the wing became starkly apparent. (The Lakers' other newest member, Darren Collison, was scoreless in 12 minutes. His value is TBD.)

“Stanley Johnson was fantastic on him,” Fizdale said about his work on Harden. “For a guy just getting moved up, that's big time.”

As LeBron pointed out on Tuesday, most of the Lakers' best defenders are inactive. Johnson could be just what the doctor ordered (along with booster shots.)

“It's just doing my job. Just like any other day in the office,” Johnson said. “I'm just trying to be as useful as I can.”

3) LeBron James

Speaking of LeBron, the 19-year veteran continues to play other-worldly basketball as his 37th birthday fast approaches.

LeBron posted 39 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals against Brooklyn. He shot 14-of-25 from the field, bringing his December averages to 28.9 points on 55% shooting.

Yet, instead of whole-heartedly celebrating LeBron's mastery, the Lakers couldn't help but lament the fact that his production hasn't directly led to wins.

“He a robot, man. He can do whatever he wants to,” Monk said “…And not winning, and not helping, man. We just as mad as everybody else.”

“I’m kicking myself in the head because he’s giving me incredible me effort,” Fizdale admitted. “Trying to figure out ways to get him over the hump with that effort, and I hate that it’s wasted on losses. To watch it, to be a part of it … even though those games are turning into Ls. I’ve never seen anything like this guy. We better be thanking our lucky stars for this guy.”

As for LeBron, he's focused on the result, not his numbers.

“I don’t really care about the way I play if it comes in a loss,” James said in his postgame remarks.

LeBron is playing major minutes and carrying a heavy load. The Lakers better start tallying wins.

4) The 0ther stuff Westbrook did well

James spoke up on Westbrook's behalf afterward (Russ declined to speak to the media) and was largely complimentary of his teammate.

“His decision-making was spectacular tonight,” LeBron said, noting Westbrook's 12 rebounds, five offensive. “We know we're not one of the better offensive rebounding teams in this league. He gave us extra possessions. … As far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that.”

David Fizdale credited Westbrook's attacking.

“A big part of it is he just wants it so bad,” Fizdale said. “I mean you can just see it in him, everybody does. He wants it so bad. And I know that's just hard for him when it doesn't work out. And I know he cares like crazy. … I just want him to take a lot of that pressure off himself, keep attacking, keep playing the way we know he can.”

It's all valid: Westbrook's shot selection was ideal (all but four shots were in the paint), his rebounding was stellar, and his play-making and energy were strong wire-to-wire.

“Right now we’re getting out butts kicked in the possession game,” Fizdale said last Sunday. “Teams are getting too many more shots than us at the goal.”

On Saturday, the Lakers took seven more shot attempts than their opponent.

5) A few missed layups away

If there's one overarching reason for the Lakers to be encouraged — or rather, not be overly discouraged — after the Nets loss, it's this: They can legitimately make the case that if Russell Westbrook makes a few more layups, they win.

Russ missed 11 (!) shots at the rim on Saturday, including a blown dunk in the final 30 seconds.

“I think he had an off-shooting night,” LeBron said. “I think he missed so many shots around the rim that he's been accustomed to making throughout his career and throughout this season. So, not worried about too much of that.”

Depending on how full your glass of Lobos is, that either puts the Lakers a few cumulative centimeters away from victory — or functions as a representation of their season.