D'Angelo Russell scored 32 points and Julius Randle added 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double in the surprising Los Angeles Lakers' 125-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Timofey Mozgov had 20 points and six rebounds for the Lakers, who maintained a steady lead down the stretch of their fourth win in five games at Staples Center this season.
Russell hit seven 3-pointers and had eight rebounds. Los Angeles' balanced play under new coach Luke Walton has put the Lakers (7-5) two games above .500 for just the second time since April 2013.
Brook Lopez had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 29 points as Brooklyn rebounded solidly from a 32-point thrashing delivered by the Clippers in the same building one night earlier while Lopez sat out to rest.
Lopez also became the Nets' franchise leader in blocked shots, passing George Johnson's 863 blocks with three against the Lakers.
But Russell had the highest-scoring individual performance by any player this season for the Lakers. He also did it against Brooklyn after dropping a career-high 39 on the Nets last year, including eight 3-pointers that prompted his now-famous "Ice in My Veins" celebration of big shots.
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Randle added another balanced floor game in his first triple-double since March 25, and the Lakers got major contributions down low from Mozgov - who had his highest-scoring game for his new team - and Tarik Black, who had 12 points and nine rebounds in just 13 minutes.
The Lakers opened a four-game homestand with a quick start against the Nets led by Russell, who had 19 points by halftime. Lopez kept it close with 17 points of his own, and he kept it close again in the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers during a Brooklyn barrage from outside.
BENCH BATTLE
The NBA's two most productive benches had big games. Led by Jordan Clarkson's 13 points, the Lakers' reserves outscored the Nets' bench 43-40. Yogi Ferrell led the Brooklyn bench with 11 points.
STEEP SCHEDULE
The Lakers just returned from a road trip that showcased their young roster's potential and limitations. They won at Sacramento and New Orleans to move two games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2012-13 season, but were then routed by Minnesota on Sunday after their third long-distance flight in four nights.
The Lakers will have to get used to learning on the court: Starting Friday, they will play 18 games in 30 days with five back-to-backs and no consecutive days off.
TIP-INS
Nets: Former Lakers G Jeremy Lin missed his sixth straight game with a hamstring injury. ... Former Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko watched the game from courtside.
Lakers: LA has beaten Brooklyn three straight times. ... The Lakers scored 120 points for the fourth time this season after managing the feat just three times in the previous two seasons combined.
UP NEXT
Nets: The road trip ends Friday at Oklahoma City.
Lakers: After their final back-to-back days off for an entire month, they host San Antonio on Friday.
