They say the first game back home after a long road trip is really just an extension of the road trip. For the Nets, that felt painfully accurate Tuesday night. Two days after a 53-point loss in Detroit, Brooklyn brought the same issues back to Barclays Center in a 125-109 loss to the Los Angeles La kers, dropping to 13-36 and suffering its second blowout in as many games. The Nets trailed by as many as 39 points. The Nets looked flat, disconnected and late to everything early. Luka Dončić took control from the opening tip, getting to his spots at will and scoring 14 points in his first nine minutes as the Lakers shot 83.3% in the first quarter, going 15-for-18. Brooklyn couldn’t keep Jaxson Hayes off the rim, couldn’t slow the ball in transition and couldn’t stay out of foul trouble. Even with Michael Porter Jr. and Day’Ron Sharpe providing some early offense, combining for 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting, the Nets shot just 37.5% in the opening quarter and were already staring at a 22-point hole by the time the second quarter began. Then it became LeBron James’ turn to take over. James opened the quarter by powering through Porter at the rim. Minutes later, Jarred Vanderbilt stripped Drake Powell, pushed the ball ahead to Austin Reaves and watched Reaves lob it off the glass to James, igniting the Lakers-heavy crowd. James wasn’t finished. He picked off a Porter pass near midcourt, glided to the rim uncontested and hammered home his trademark tomahawk dunk at the 8:18 mark, forcing a Nets timeout as the lead ballooned to 28. The last act before James sat was a mistimed lob that still ended with a soft fadeaway over Danny Wolf, one of those shots that made it feel like the clock had rolled back. James scored only eight points in the quarter, but the Lakers led by 32 when he checked out with 6:41 left in the half. Brooklyn went to the locker room down 29. The Lakers scored 45 points in the first quarter alone, more than Brooklyn managed through the entire first half. Nine of Los Angeles’ 10 players who saw minutes before the break scored, with six reaching at least seven points. Brooklyn shot 36.4% overall and went 2-for-20 from 3-point range. Egor Dëmin turned the ball over five times in the first half. Porter had 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting in his first 20 minutes, but he was largely on an island. Brooklyn didn’t score its first basket of the second half until the 9:53 mark of the third quarter, a 19-footer from Porter that trimmed the deficit to 33. Ziaire Williams, back in the lineup along with Noah Clowney, provided a spark off the bench with 10 points in the third, helping the Nets win the quarter, but the damage had long been done. Brooklyn still entered the fourth down 26. The Lakers finished with four players in double figures, led by Dončić and James with 24 and 25 points, respectively. Porter led Brooklyn with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Williams added 17 points off the bench, and Sharpe chipped 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in reserve minutes. The score was never closer than 16 points over the final 12 minutes. Bronny James checked in with 4:36 remaining, underscoring just how decided the night had become. Brooklyn’s latest losing streak now stands at two games, and the timing adds another layer. The Nets will visit the Orlando Magic on Thursday, the same day the NBA trade deadline arrives at 3 p.m. ET. After another rough loss, it’s hard not to wonder how much longer this group will stay intact. ...read more read less