After an ugly loss against the Cavs, the Lakers bounced back with a 142-111 blowout victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. It was LA’s largest win of the season.
The game began with Luka
Dončić and Deandre Ayton shouldering the offensive load with a combined 16 points. Bub Carrington had a strong start for the Wizards, knocking down two triples for six points. LA went up by eight thanks to an 8-0 scoring run.
Luka was on triple-double watch, notching 11 points, six rebounds and five assists with 4:26 left in the quarter.
Alex Sarr started to take over for Washington, scoring eight points. Out of a timeout, Luka connected with Jaxson Hayes for the third time for two. Hayes was up to eight points off the bench.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by 14.
The second period started with LeBron scoring seven points for the Lakers. He was now in double figures with 12 points. Marcus Smart also drained his first 3-pointer of the half. Ayton added two more points with a layup, pushing the lead to 22 for LA.
Washington called a timeout and out of the break, Bilal Coulibaly scored on a dunk.
Sarr was the first Wizard in double figures with 12 points. LeBron threw down an emphatic dunk that had everyone buzzing.
Luka connected with Ayton three times for six quick points. That gave Luka his eighth, ninth and tenth assists of the half. He continued his ridiculous dominant half by finishing with a triple double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He was shooting 64% from the field and 62% from behind the arc.
Ayton and Hayes combined for 24 points, both in double figures. At halftime, the Lakers were up by a massive 29 points.
The second half began with Sarr converting on a jump shot. Jake LaRavia finally put some points on the board, cleaning up a missed layup by LeBron. A reverse dunk by LeBron, off the assist from Smart, forced the Wizards to call a timeout.
Washington was now down by 30.
After the break, the Wizards turned the ball over, a perfect depiction of how badly things were going for them. The Lakers and Luka were putting on an absolute clinic, shooting 80% to start the third quarter.
Luka drained his sixth 3-pointer of the game, shooting 60% from behind the arc. With 4:12 left in the period, Los Angeles was up by 34. Rui Hachimura scored a quick five points for LA. The Lakers did slightly take their foot off the gas pedal, allowing the Wizards to score a couple of easy buckets.
What had grown to a 38-point lead for Los Angeles was down to 24 going into the fourth period. Washington ended the quarter on a 10-1 scoring run.
The final frame began with both teams missing their first shots. Ayton scored LA’s first field goal with a dunk.
Jarred Vanderbilt drained a 3-pointer to go with the four steals and two rebounds he racked up in this game. At the 8:52 mark, Los Angeles was up by 28. LeBron dunked the ball for what felt like the 75th time of the game.
With 5:29 left, LA emptied their bench.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished the game with 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and three steals. LeBron scored 20 points with three rebounds, six assists and two steals. Ayton pitched in with 28 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
Hayes had 10 points off the bench. Hachimura notched 11 points with two rebounds and two assists. Vanderbilt ended with eight points, two rebounds and four steals.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the New York Knicks on Sunday at 4:00 PM PT.You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
