Even when the Nets drop 40 points in a quarter, even when they lead by 22 points with 12 minutes left, even when they have a clear talent advantage, it just never seems easy for the Brooklyn Nets, who seem to put their fans through enough existential crises that you wonder if they’re paying luxury-tax bills by purchasing stock in Brooklyn’s therapists.

Everything seemed right. The “Big 3,” somehow still together through another rumor-filled trade deadline, hummed in their respective roles. Brooklyn’s defense played well enough to hold off an underwhelming Lakers attack. A rapid-fire third quarter seemed to seal the game.

But the Nets then spent the better part of the closing quarter misfiring, taking contested, off-balance looks, turning the ball over, allowing points in transition, and committing silly fouls, nearly giving away that lead against a Western Conference bottom-feeder.

One old cliche sums this one up: “A win is a win.” But a slightly younger one, invented by Gerald Wallace two years ago, similarly rings true in the last few minutes: “Typical Nets Basketball.”