LOS ANGELES_The Los Angeles Lakers' future shined on Tuesday night in a 125-118 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center.
Third-year forward Julius Randle finished with a triple-double. Randle had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, tying a career high in assists. Second-year point guard D'Angelo Russell finished with 32 points and eight rebounds, seven of them defensive.
The Lakers improved to 7-5 with the win, dropping the Nets to 4-7.
Center Timofey Mozgov had 20 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson added 13 points and Tarik Black had 12 with nine rebounds in 13:26 of playing time. Black received an ovation from the crowd as he left the game midway through the fourth quarter.
The Nets were on the second night of a back-to-back. They lost to the Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center, 127-95. The Lakers returned home after a three-game trip that included wins in Sacramento and New Orleans, and a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves the day after the Lakers played the Pelicans.
Unlike other contests, the Lakers started strong. Russell had a hand in all of the Lakers' first 16 points _ he scored 12 points and had the assists on the Lakers' other two baskets.
Russell made five consecutive three-pointers during the first quarter before his first missed shot, which was his sixth attempted three.
It was the third 30-point game of his career.
"He was really good early on," Lakers Coach Luke Walton said of Russell. "He was active on defense, which is what I was most impressed and happy with. It feels like every time he has one of these big games, he starts the game making plays for us on the defensive end."
Reversing another trend, the Lakers' second unit struggled early. In the first quarter every member of the bench had a plus/minus rating below zero.
Conversely, every Lakers starter had a positive plus/minus rating.
The trend lasted through halftime, when Clarkson had creeped up to a positive-two rating.
Randle finished with a plus-minus of 15. While his performance featured plenty of positives, Walton wanted more from him.
"As good as he played tonight, there's probably nine, 10, 11, 12 times where he didn't get himself involved in the play," Walton said. "Whether it was not getting all the way back on defense, not plugging the paint on the help side drive."
But even as he asked for more, Walton listed all the ways in which Randle's development showed.
"His ability to create for others, to get to the rim," Walton said. "Now he's starting to hit that midrange jumper a little more consistently.
"He's figuring out and I think starting to believe in what he can really do in this league."
The belief goes both ways for Randle.
"It comes from work ethic," he said. "Every day grinding out. Just trying to get better every day. ... Also comes from coach's belief in me to make plays and be a playmaker.
"Whatever it is, they trust me out there to be involved in a lot of what we're doing. When you have the belief of coach, obviously it's going to make your confidence go up."
