Firing Lawrence Frank didn't have an immediate impact on the fortunes of the New Jersey Nets, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night to match an NBA record for the worst start to a season.

Kobe Bryant had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers prevailed 106-87. Bryant had 23 in the first half but then got into foul trouble.

Pau Gasol had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Jordan Farmar contributed 15 points. Los Angeles improved to 13-3.Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers outfights Courtney Lee of the New Jersey Nets during a scramble Sunday at Staples Center. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

New Jersey has lost 17 in a row, equalling the 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers. The Nets have lost by an average of 10 points a game during their streak.

"I wish I could explain it," said New Jersey guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who only lost 10 games in his three collegiate seasons at Memphis. "There's not really anything good out of this. I try to stay positive, but it's extremely hard to stay positive. All the things going on, it's depressing."

They will return home to prevent setting a new standard on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks and Jason Kidd, who spent nearly seven seasons with the Nets.

"I don't want to be associated with it," said Devin Harris. "That's one record you don't ever want to be a part of."

Centre Brook Lopez again led New Jersey in scoring, finishing with 26 points and 11 assists. Devin Harris had 16 points, with fellow guard Courtney Lee adding 15.

Assistant Tom Barrise was calling the shots on Sunday, having taken over from Frank on an interim basis.

New Jersey went scoreless for nearly 4 ½ minutes in the first quarter while Los Angeles posted 13 straight points to build a 27-10 lead.

Bryant's fourth three-pointer of the first half put Los Angeles up 57-30 shortly before halftime. The Lakers led by 34 midway through the third quarter, and Bryant left the game with 4:14 left in the third.

"You don't wish that on anybody," Bryant said of New Jersey's skid. "That's tough."

The NBA's lowest-scoring and worst-shooting team lived up to its dire statistics, managing just 60 points on 38.7-per-cent shooting in the first three periods before a strong fourth quarter against Lakers' reserves.

Frank was in his sixth full season, the longest-tenured coach in the Eastern Conference and the winningest coach in the Nets' NBA history. But none of those victories came this season, and the team dismissed him with a 225-241 record.

"Lawrence always approached every day with a passion for his craft that was infectious, and his dedication to the game as well as his work ethic are to be both admired and appreciated," Nets president Rod Thorn said in a statement. "I wish he and his family only the best of good fortune in the future."

Frank, a product of nearby Teaneck, N.J., began his career with a 13-game winning streak, the best coaching start in league history.

Plagued by injuries this season, the Nets faced some games where they were missing four starters and suited up the minimum eight players. Still, they played hard and stayed close for most of those games, figuring the wins would come when they started getting some bodies back.

"That's probably as little talent as I've seen anybody put on the floor in the long time with everybody hurt," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Yet they were able to fight and stay competitive. The guy's done a great job there."

Despite the losses, Frank was expected to last through the four-game trip out West that ends Sunday, with management wanting to give him time with a regular roster. But they decided it was time for a change after the Nets fell far behind in losses at Denver and Sacramento.

After 3½seasons as a Nets assistant, Frank replaced the fired Byron Scott on Jan. 26, 2004.

Cap space, not depth

He quickly turned around a struggling team with his record-setting start, winning Eastern Conference coach of the month honours in February after leading the Nets to an 11-2 record, a franchise-record .846 winning percentage.

Lawrence Frank, right, was the longest-tenured coach in the NBA's Eastern Conference. (Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Nets made the playoffs in each of Frank's first four seasons, advancing to the second round in three of them, before returning to their longtime losing ways while slashing payroll in recent years.

Kidd was traded in February 2008, fellow veterans Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter were gone by last summer's draft, and only the Kidd deal that landed all-star point guard Devin Harris brought back much in return.

So after losing in the East semifinals in 2006 and '07, the Nets stumbled to 34-48 finishes the last two seasons.

Plagued by poor attendance and heavy financial losses while playing at the Meadowlands, the Nets have been looking ahead to a move to Brooklyn. While management could make decisions with that in mind, Frank ultimately paid the price for what was happening in the present.

The deals helped the Nets' financial future, leaving them with the most salary cap space available for the stellar free agent class expected next summer. But it left the team devoid of talented depth when New Jersey was plagued by injuries early this season.

Even if the Nets played well, Frank might not have made it past this season.

Owners will vote by the end of next month whether to approve the sale of the team to Russian Mikhail Prokhorov. If the sale goes through, as expected, Prokhorov could decide to bring in his own coaching staff.