A night after posting one of their best wins of the season in a thrilling comeback, the Lakers struggled through some tough and tense times, but managed to avoid what would have been one of their most disappointing losses beating the Wizards 134-131. over time. The game brings the Lakers to five games above .500 this season and keeps them pace in the West standings.
The Wizards came into this game losers of 12 straight games, but almost played the role of spoiler in this one, with four players scoring 20 or more points, including 34 from Jordan Poole coming off the bench. Former Laker Kyle Kuzma had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while forward Deni Avdija played a solid and complete game with 15 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
So, first and foremost, the credit goes to the Wizards. They played hard all night, running the court in transition and managing to get into their offensive actions quickly and with good rhythm to put emphasis on the Lakers defense and take advantage of what looked like a fatigue combination physical and general level of commitment which seemed to explain their opponent’s recent fights.
Despite the Wizards’ ability to score points offensively, their defense couldn’t get the stops they needed, allowing the Lakers to get into their own rhythm on the other end of the court. Leading the way among those Lakers was Anthony Davis, who led the way with a game-high 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the field and 12-of-13 from the foul line. Washington had no answers for Davis, who managed to attack out of the post, from the midrange and diving to the edge of the pick-and-roll.
Washington would send doubles, but AD did well to move past it, collecting four assists and generally moving the ball well to open teammates who, even though they didn’t shoot, were able to create an advantage against a defense of the Wizards who did not shoot. demonstrate the ability to stay connected for more than an action or two.
On the other side of the ball, AD was once again a force in protecting the paint and cleaning up the glass. Davis grabbed 15 rebounds (12 defensive), while blocking three shots and recording a steal.
On a highlight reel play, AD followed Cory Kispert attempting a reverse layup from one side of the rim to the other, deterring the shot on the first side, then crushing it on the other , then scrambling to save the ball before it goes out. is bound to trigger a Lakers fast break in the other direction. It was just one of many defensive plays AD made to help offset a Wizards offensive attack that did well to get past their first line of defense and threaten the rim.
Joining Davis with another strong night was LeBron James, who scored 31 points on 12 of 24 shooting, along with nine assists and four rebounds. Just as he did in the Clippers’ closeout the night before, James took the reins of the offense throughout the stretch to ensure his team looked good as both teams traded blows punches in the middle of the ring in order to score the coup de grace.
On countless possessions in the 4th quarter and overtime, it was LeBron who answered the bell with the play needed to either give the Lakers the necessary cushion or bring his team back after the Wizards appeared to take the control. In one of the most important sequences of the game and his team trailing by three, LeBron atone for his own turnover with a fantastic chase block on Jordan Poole to keep it in a one-possession, then one-possession game then hit a pull up three. from the right wing to tie the score at 131 in total.
These plays proved to be the difference as Washington was never able to score the rest of the game, while the Lakers mustered enough offense to get by.
Beyond LeBron and AD, D’Angelo Russell contributed with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Russell didn’t shoot the ball as well as recently (nine of 21 from the field), but he made four three-pointers and once again did well to organize the team’s offense on the ball, then find the folds like a cutter for easier strokes when working on it.
Austin Reaves also had an efficient scoring night with 12 points on six-of-11 shooting, along with six rebounds and four assists. Reaves didn’t connect on either of his two shots from behind the arc, but he was excellent from two points, including hitting the tying bucket on a Euro step-up, hooking the jumper on the final offensive possession of regulation Lakers.
Although it is not the greatest victory, it counts just as much in the ledger and the Lakers will certainly win it. They now have a day off before playing the Nuggets on Saturday in Los Angeles.
