The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, winning by 23 points. It was a well-earned victory that effectively saw L.A. leading wire-to-wire with great performances from LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and Dorian Finney-Smith.
But the best moment of the night came in the second quarter. After getting an offensive rebound, Reaves had the ball on the baseline and noticed an open Max Christie in the corner. But before he could make the pass, the Wizards closed the passing lane. That opened up the middle of the court, and LeBron saw an opportunity. He streaked down the lane and Reaves tossed up a perfect lob that James threw down with authority on Jonas Valanciunas.
James discussed the play from his perspective and how he was able to get the chance to complete the highlight-reel play.
“We had a great fastbreak, and we hit Max [Christie] in the corner for the three, and AR crashed from the perimeter. Missed the three, AR crashed from the perimeter. And then was able to see me streaking down the middle and just threw it up there. I was able to go get it.”
Given that it happened in the second quarter when the game was still within reach for the Wizards, LeBron knew that type of play could help boost the Lakers.
“Plays like that is momentum plays. You get to follow and-one dunk. Just make momentum plays. I’ve been in enough momentum plays in my career to know what we do for your home fans.”
James would later take to social media to celebrate his monster dunk:
The Lakers offense has been uneven for some time now. They have looked like one of the best offensive units in basketball at times and like one of the worst at other times. LeBron is hopeful that a play like that could be a signal that things are starting to work again.
“That’s one element. It’s also just kind of being ready to make the passes on time on target. And when we do that, we look pretty good,” he said.
James still being able to make plays like this at 40 years old is truly unprecedented in NBA history. However, his focus remains on making sure that plays like that help the Lakers win and get on a consistent track. It certainly did so on Tuesday, and it will be interesting to see how they fare against a much different opponent in the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
LeBron James spoke to professionalism vs. Wizards
LeBron James joined head coach JJ Redick in praising the Lakers for staying professional against the Wizards on Tuesday. With them having the worst record in basketball, it could have been very easy for the Lakers to take their foot off the gas pedal. But that type of performance shows L.A. does not think of itself as above any other team.
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