It took five games but the Los Angeles Lakers finally had a win in the 2015-2016 NBA Season beating the Brooklyn Nets, 104-98 on Friday (Saturday morning in Australia).

Kobe Bryant once again struggled shooting making just 5-of-16 shots from the field but still top-scored for the Lakers with 18 points. Three other starters finished in double-figure scoring for Los Angeles with the backcourt of Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell ending up with 16 points each and forward Julius Randle adding 14 points with 7 rebounds.

The Nets, which remained winless at 0-6 for the season, had the early lead, taking a 27-18 advantage after the first quarter. The Lakers answered with a 34-20 second quarter to grab the 52-47 lead at the halftime break. The Lakers protected the lead all throughout the second half against a Brooklyn squad that shot just 3-of-19 from the three point area.

Veterans Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson led the way for the losing side. The big man had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots while the shooting guard shot 8-of-16 field goals for 22 points with 2 steals.

Except for a close loss in their season-opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves (112-111), the Lakers suffered three blowout defeats to the Sacramento Kings (132-114), Dallas Mavericks (103-93) and Denver Nuggets (120-109). Los Angeles continues a long five-game road trip and will face the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Mavericks in their next four games.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn will also play their next four on the road, against the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. The Nets are one of the three winless teams so far this season along with the Philadelphia 76ers (0-5) and New Orleans Pelicans (0-5).

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