Lakers vs. Nets Preview and Game Thread: Can L.A. survive without LeBron James?

With LeBron James out at least two weeks, it’ll be up to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to lead the way, starting Monday against the Nets.

After snapping their eight-game winning streak last game, the Lakers look to redeem themselves on Monday when they take on the Brooklyn Nets. This is the second game of four-game road trip and the last meeting with the Nets.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets

When: 4:30 PST, Mar 10

Where: Barclays Center

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

Saturday’s defeat to the ultimate rival Celtics was frustrating, but let me tell you right off the bat that it wasn’t that bad. The purple and gold were down two starters, faced a Celtics team that treated that one like a playoff game (good for them, honestly) and were run off the floor by a way more connected and complete team. The odds were never really in L.A.’s favor to win that one.

Perhaps the bigger loss that night was LeBron James, who will be sidelined for at least two weeks due to a strained groin injury. This is tough for the purple and gold because they’re just about to embark on the hardest stretch of their schedule this season. Now, they’ll have to figure out how to stay afloat without their captain.

Here’s what needs to happen:

Can Luka Dončić carry the Lakers?

Aside from James, multiple Lakers are also injured right now, one of which is Dončić, who is dealing with a bad back. But since the injury doesn’t seem too serious, this stretch without James will highlight how the 26-year-old Slovenian guard can carry the team without him. The good news for the Lakers is that Luka has had enough experience doing just that throughout his time with the Dallas Mavericks in the past.

With James out, expect more touches for Dončić and him to lead most of the offense. This could be good for the Lakers, too, since it’s one way to get him fully acclimated to the system, even if he’s already fit in quite well over the last month.

If Dončić suits up, he’ll have to fill in James’ absence by stepping up his scoring and playmaking. Perhaps we’re about to see a glimpse of the Lakers’ post-LeBron James era.

Can Austin Reaves step up?

With James out, the second-best player on the team is Reaves, who will have more responsibility on his shoulders. He’s going to be helping Dončić with the playmaking and scoring duties and while he’s done that exceptionally well this year, the Lakers will need more from him this time around.

It’s good that he got that one bad game out of the way already against the Knicks since coming off a calf injury. Hopefully, AR steps up again like he has many times in the last three years.

On Monday against the Nets, Reaves will most likely take the D’Angelo Russell matchup. When these two faced off at Crypto.com Arena in January, AR scored 38 points and closed the game for Los Angeles. The Nets had no answer for him and that should be the case again tomorrow. If Dončić decides to sit, the Lakers will need AR to lead the way.

Take it one game at a time

The Lakers’ injury issues are unfortunate but they’re not the only team dealing with health concerns. It’s just tough that it’s happening at a time when the purple and gold’s schedule is at a rough stretch. Now, it’s important to approach these games one at a time.

Monday’s playdate against the Nets isn’t going to be easy, even if the latter has lost seven straight. If you look at their last few games, they’ve actually competed hard and have gone down the wire against teams like the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The thing with lottery-bound and tanking teams like Brooklyn is that you never know when they decide they want to win a game, so they could easily sneak one on a random Monday.

The Lakers should be ready to take all their punches, but if they can contain Russell and Cam Johnson, then this should go in their favor.

Besides Dončić and Reaves, it’ll be nice to see the rest make their lives easier, too. I’m talking about Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Jordan Goodwin, Shake Milton and the rest of the bench. The goal for the Lakers in this upcoming stretch is to win as many games as they can while avoiding any more injuries, especially to their key players.

It’s a tough time of the year because the team has to balance remaining afloat in the standings while making sure they’re fresh enough for the postseason. We’ll see how the purple and gold navigate their way without James in the next few weeks, starting with Monday’s game against the Nets.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, LeBron James (left groin strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle soreness), Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery) Bronny James Jr. (G-League) are all out.
• Luka Dončić (back soreness) and Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion) are questionable.
• As for the Nets, De’Anthony Melton (left knee ACL tear), Cam Thomas (left hamstring management) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring) are out.
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.