"It's Over for Excuses," says Darvin Ham in response to the Lakers' lackluster loss to the Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 130–112 at home on Friday night, resulting in yet another heartbreaking loss for the team. The Lakers had a six-point lead against the Nets at the half, but Brooklyn's 68-44 second-half outburst caused them to crumble.

After the game, Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham, who has been under fire this season, vented his disgust at yet another heartbreaking defeat. It is the first half that we are aiming for. and then, in the second half, the inconsistency surfaced and became apparent," Ham told reporters. "We need to choose the team we want to be on." Then, Ham concluded his remarks by pressing his players to do more than simply talk.

Ham went on, "The time for excuses is over." "We have to play hoops." Regarding his team's collapse, Ham said, "You show it on film and address it with the group." "You show them everything you have—the good, the bad, and the ugly." The Lakers' season record fell to 21–22 as a result of the defeat, and they are now just barely holding onto the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference—the final berth in the play-in tournament. On Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers (12–29).



Ham went on, "The time for excuses is over." "We have to play hoops."




The Nets bench outscored the Lakers bench, 59–23, with guard Cam Thomas scoring a game-high 33 points.

"As I mentioned to our team after the game, I couldn't be more proud of Nikola for playing the way he played with the tragic passing of Deki," stated Michael Malone, Nikola's current coach.But that's what you do. I'm proud of Nikola because of this. You recently lost a very important and beloved person who served as both a coach and a mentor to you." LaMelo Ball scored 28 points and dished out eight assists to help the Charlotte Hornets upset the San Antonio Spurs 124-120. Brandon Miller finished with 24 points and a game-high nine rebounds.