The Los Angeles Lakers epic fourth-quarter comeback bid vs. the Brooklyn Nets fell just short on Christmas evening. Of the many reasons for the loss — a short-handed roster full of recent additions, Russell Westbrook's 4-of-20 shooting night, Patty Mills' 34-point barrage, the Lakers' general struggles from the three-point line (28.6%) — one of their bright spots, Malik Monk, cited another repeated factor plaguing Los Angeles this season: early deficits.
The Lakers came out flat against Brooklyn, once again, particularly on the defensive end. After surrendering a season-high 138 points to the San Antonio Spurs (!) in regulation (!) on Thursday, the Lakers gave up 38 points to Brooklyn — similarly depleted due to injuries and protocols — in the opening frame. The Nets hit eight of their first 10 shots of the field, most of which were high-percentage looks.
“Shit's always biting us in the ass,” Monk said about the Lakers' tendency to fall behind early in games.
The Lakers tightened the screws in the second period, winning the quarter 39-28. However, after briefly taking the lead after halftime, they collapsed for 10 minutes and lost the third period 36-20. A furious rally in the fourth sent the Crypto.com Arena crowd into a frenzy, but the Lakers couldn't quite earn their coffee. Brooklyn held on for a 122-115 win — handing the Lakers (16-18) their fifth straight defeat.
FROM DOWN 17…MALIK MONK TIES THE GAME!@Lakers 115@BrooklynNets 115
45 seconds left on ABC/ESPN…Nets ball. pic.twitter.com/1nbVLNJBoe
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2021
“It’s just a tale of quarters,” Lakers interim head coach David Fizdale said. “We couldn't put together consecutive quarters for whatever reason.”
This was not the cast for Monk, had one of his best games of the season despite spending the last 10 days in COVID-19 protocols. He scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 35 minutes and was one of the few Lakers to play with a high energy level for four quarters.
It doesn't get much better than this.
LeBron outlet. Carmelo catch-and-throw. Malik Monk slam 💥pic.twitter.com/4Zadvopmsv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 26, 2021
Malik Monk, when asked what message he was trying to send with his return tonight: “Shit — that I’m back. That’s really it man.”
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 26, 2021
“Just fantastic,” Fizdale said. “He really gave us a huge, huge boost tonight.”
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