Below are five things to take from the Lakers’ XXX to the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center:
1. The Lakers didn’t defend the perimeter well. The Lakers allowed Brooklyn to go 12-of-25 from 3-point range. Kendall Marshall hardly provided much in stopping Deron Williams, who scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Wesley Johnson hardly lived up to the hope he could defend bulkier players, letting Paul Pierce drop 25 points on a 9-of-17 clip and a 4-of-7 mark from three-point range.
2. Kent Bazemore continued to show promise. In his first start as a Lakers, Bazemore proved he’s not a one-hit wonder. It’s not so much impressive that he posted 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes. It’s that Bazemore provided the same kind of energy that made him so impressive in his initial debut.
3. Nick Young played decent in his return, but didn’t take many shots. In his first game since missing the previous six because of a left knee injury, Young looked decent with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting. But it’s head scratching that he took so few attempts. With the Lakers lacking shot creators, they need Young to generate more offense.
4. Ryan Kelly didn’t play. For the second consecutive game, the Lakers’ second-round rookie sat on the bench because of a month-long struggle where he’s shot only 36.9 percent from the field. The Lakers have gone through 29 different starting lineups this year. So it’s likely he’ll be given another chance. But for now, his role has been drastically reduced.
5. Jason Collins becomes officially because the first publicly gay player in the NBA. His performance itself hardly says much: zero points on one field-goal attempt, two rebounds and five fouls in 10 minutes. But Collins’ debut on a 10-day contract with Brooklyn marks a huge step on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. This marks the first time in 10 months Collins has played a game so it’s understandable he looks rusty. Expect him to shed that pretty quickly and provide the Nets with a dependable frontcourt reserve that can improve defensive rotations and provide hustle plays.
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com