The end of the Los Angeles Lakers’ six-game road trip was in sight as they took on the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday.
The Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors the night prior and looked to put a bow on the trip out east with a win against a lowly Wizards team that’s looking at a high draft pick. However, things didn’t start off great for Los Angeles as they looked like a team that played the night before.
Washington raced out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind some hot 3-pointer shooting from their starters. The Lakers eventually gathered themselves and took control of the game before they allowed the Wizards to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter. Although the starters had to come in for the final minute, Los Angeles managed to close the road trip with a 125-120 win over Washington to move 11 games over .500.
Anthony Davis got hit elbowed underneath his eye early in the game and it looked for a moment like he would need to come out. Fortunately, Davis was able to stay in the game and proceeded to assert himself against an overwhelmed Wizards frontcourt.
Davis was more aggressive than usual in the painted area, looking to bully his way to the rim and finish over shorter defenders for easy baskets. He was also his usual self on defense, roaming the key and getting his hands in the passing lane to force deflections and steals.
Davis was the best player on the floor and he finished the night with his 60th double-double of the 2023-24 season. He recorded a game-high 35 points and 18 rebounds to go along with one assist, two steals and three blocks. Davis was also perfect from the free throw line, hitting all 15 of his attempts.
Going against his former team, Rui Hachimura continued his strong play as of late as he routinely won his individual matchups offensively. Washington had no answers for Hachimura, who scored 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also pulled down seven rebounds, an area he’s been much better in during the Lakers’ winning stretch.
LeBron James also had a typical night for himself offensively with 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists and even contributed three steals on the other end.
What’s next for Lakers
Los Angeles finally gets to return home though their weekend holds another back-to-back, this time against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. They’ll then draw the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, a pivotal matchup that could have Play-In Tournament ramifications.
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