With all the issues surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers these days, they probably had only had one thing to say after beating the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night: Whew.

The victory was a gigantic sigh of relief (at least for now) for the Lakers, who have been as great as hospital food this season. The return of Anthony Davis after a 17-game absence definitely bodes well for the team, which improved to 24-24 after the win over the Nets.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson couldn't help but feel pumped on Twitter after the Purple & Gold's victory.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers rumors: Rui Hachimura trade ‘more likely than not,’ with a catch
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and center Brook Lopez (11) and guard Damian Lillard (0) on the court during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena
NBA rumors: Exec makes Lakers quip about Bucks star, but it’s not Giannis

Hard to blame the five-time NBA champion for his ebullience, especially after he recently voiced out his frustrations on the Lakers' less-than-stellar campaign.

Davis only played 25 minutes against the Nets, finishing with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and four blocks. LeBron James once again carried the cudgels with norms of 33 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.

What was supposed to be a marquee matchup between the two early-season favorites became a middling affair, with the Nets without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Still, with the way things are going, the Lakers will take any win.

It's still unclear how the Lakers will manage Davis moving forward. But they have another tough challenge on Thursday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers featuring the I-will-destroy-everything-in-my-path Joel Embiid.