To avoid starting a losing streak on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers needed a win against the Washington Wizards at the Crypto.com arena. In a surprisingly competitive game, the Wizards fought hard to pull off the upset victory but, in the end, they just didn’t have enough to overcome the combined strength of the Lakers.
The Lakers were shot to start the game and looked solid on both ends to take a 29-23 lead into the second quarter. In the first half, the Lakers slowly pulled away with a sizeable lead and were able to keep a distance from the Wizards for the rest of the half. The game continued like that through the fourth quarter until the Lakers cruised to the 111-88 win at home.
Anthony Davis was the leading scorer for LA with 29 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks on 14-22 shooting. LeBron James tallied a 21-point triple-double with 13 assists, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals on 8-18 shooting while Austin Reaves totaled 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists on 4-15 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Wizards were led by Bilal Coulibaly, who dropped 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 7-15 shooting. Jordan Poole added 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in 34 minutes. Finally, Corey Kispert finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 31 minutes off the bench.
The Washington Wizards are far from a complete basketball team but they played well enough tonight to give the Lakers a serious challenge and that’s more than most expected. What made the difference for the Lakers tonight (besides veteran talent) were the same key factors that have helped them find success all season long.
Star Duo Stepped Up
The Lakers only go as far as their stars take them and, fortunately, their stars led the way tonight for their 23rd win of the season. In 30+ minutes on the court, LeBron James and Anthony Davis wreaked havoc on the Wizards and decimated their defensive ambitions.
LeBron James, who was on a recent shooting slump from three, has finally re-discovered his game and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Tonight, LeBron was arguably the best payer on the court for Los Angeles as he led the way with a 21-point triple-double (13 assists and 10 rebounds).
In the frontcourt, Anthony Davis held it down with a game-high 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Davis was the first line of defense for the Lakers and his presence under the rim made it much harder for the Wizards to get any traction in the game. Davis’ dominant showing made a huge impact on the score and gave the fans reason to be hopeful for a successful season.’
Timely Boost For The Lakers
The Lakers don’t just rely on star power to get the job done. Like every other NBA contender, they also have depth to help them secure as many wins as possible. Tonight, the Lakers got help from various high-quality role-players who stepped up with strong efforts on both ends of the floor.
In the starting lineup, Rui Hachimura only scored 9 points in 26 minutes but he still left a positive impression on the game overall. Most importantly, Rui’s 0 turnovers made him a safe and consistent option with the ball even though his scoring was not on.
Off the bench, Dorian Finney-Smith just had his best game since being traded to the Lakers this season. In 22 minutes, he dropped 16 points and 2 rebounds on a team-high 4-6 shooting from three. It was the kind of performance that validated the Lakers’ pursuit of him this season.
Defense Locked-In
The Lakers’ length, speed, and athleticism were clearly too much for the Wizards to handle but it makes sense given their current record of 6-35. Despite the presence of Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Alex Sarr, the Wizards simply had no answers to LeBron and Davis.
The Lakers managed to hold them to 35.8% shooting as a team and 25.6% from three. With a final score of 88, not a single player on the Wizards scored over 17 points. Against such a disorganized opponent, the Lakers were able to make quick work of the offense and shut down any game plan the Wizards were trying to execute.
Particularly, it was Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes who shut down the paint tonight and kept their teammates in check after calling them out last game. Defense has always been the key to prosperity for the LeBron-led Lakers and we saw tonight how effective play on that end can open up everything else for the Purple and Gold.
At 6th in the West this season, the Lakers are dangerously close to the play-in line and any further slip-ups could send them back into a dogfight just to make the first round. The Lakers needed to pick up the win today and that’s exactly what they managed to do in a convincing, blowout fashion.
Next on the schedule for the Lakers is a showdown against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, January 23rd, at 10:00 PM EST. After that, they’ll face the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on January 25th before heading to the Spectrum Center to face the Charlotte Hornets on January 27th at 7:00 PM EST.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
