Behind double-doubles from LeBron James and Anthony Davis in just three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards boast one of the most potent offenses in the league and it was apparent early on as they raced out to a 15-4 lead behind four careless turnovers from the Lakers. However, they put together a 12-2 run to bring the game back within one midway through the quarter.
The run seemed to energize the team as they limited Washington to only eight points for the remainder of the period while their hot three-point shooting stretch continued as they knocked down 5-of-9 from downtown. Anthony Davis also took advantage of his size as he scored 15 points, helping Los Angeles go into the second quarter up 14 points.
Dwight Howard kicked off the period with a couple of blocks while LeBron James provided a highlight-reel dunk when he finished a lob over David Bertans. The two teams then heated up from the field as they traded baskets on nearly every possession, but the Lakers still maintained their double-digit advantage.
The Los Angeles frontcourt terrorized Washington as both Davis and Howard patrolled the paint well, cleaning the boards and altering shots while the offense got any look they wanted. The team dropped a season-high 70 points in the first half and went into the locker room up 21 points.
The Lakers got out to a much better start to the second half as they kept the defensive focus they displayed in the first half to help them go on an 18-0 run to push their lead to 39. Washington could not get anything going as Los Angeles swarming defense prevented anything at the rim while they went cold from the perimeter, clanking jumpers left and right.
Rui Hachimura helped spark a mini Wizards run as he scored six straight points, but the Lakers still had control of the game behind their large lead.
Even though Washington continued to scrap for the remainder of the quarter, Los Angeles would still go into the final frame up 26 points.
While the Wizards made one final push, the Lakers proved too much en route to their 10th consecutive win of the 2019-20 NBA season.