The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center on Friday evening.

On Monday, Brooklyn (37-36) got back above .500 and snapped a three-game losing streak in dramatic fashion. Despite trailing by 25 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Nets came back to earn a last-second win over Sacramento. All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell led the charge, scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a career-high 44. The big night was just another highlight in a second half of the season that has seen Russell elevate his game. The fourth-year guard is averaging 22.4 points and 7.8 assists per game since the All-Star Break. With Russell at the helm, Brooklyn is on pace to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015. The Nets currently own seventh place in the Eastern Conference and sit just one game back from the sixth-place Pistons.

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, it seems that LeBron James' 14-year playoff streak is set to reach its end. The Lakers (31-40) have fallen apart since the break, going just 3-11 in 14 games since All-Star Weekend. Los Angeles is currently riding a four-game losing streak, including a double-digit defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. James sat out that game for rest, but the Lakers did see a bright spot in the strong play of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope scored a season-high 35 points off the bench to lead all scorers in the loss. Still, LA was unable to put together the offense necessary to remain competitive. The Lakers currently rank 11th in the Western Conference and are at risk of failing to match their 2017-18 win total of 35.