Coming off a rough loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers continued east on their road trip to take on the Washington Wizards. Unlike the Cavaliers, the Wizards are sitting toward the bottom of the standings, and represented a chance for the Lakers to bounce back.
Washington’s roster is full of promising players, but are still a ways away from competing in the Eastern Conference. As soon as the ball was tipped, it was clear there was a talent gap between the two teams as Los Angeles scored almost at will.
The Lakers had zero issues generating quality looks at every level of the floor, finding the open man for jumpers and lobs. Los Angeles built a huge lead in the first half and never looked back, continuing to execute in the second half to cruise to a 142-111 victory.
As has been the case for most of the 2025-26 season, Luka Doncic showed why he’s arguably the best overall offensive player in the league as he simply had his way with the Wizards defense. Washington couldn’t keep up with Doncic’s hot-shooting first half as he torched them from the perimeter.
Not only was Doncic brilliant scoring the basketball, but he was also active on the glass and routinely found teammates for assists. Doncic recorded a triple-double in the first half, putting up 26 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Doncic became the first Laker in play-by-play history to record a triple-double in a single half and it marked the second time he’s done it in his career.
While Doncic slowed down a bit in the second half, he still finished the night with 37 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals.
Deandre Ayton had been struggling a bit the past couple of weeks, but he turned in a strong performance against an undersized Washington roster. Ayton took advantage of their poor defense with committed rolls to the rim that resulted in several lobs.
Ayton was also great at defending the paint, deterring and blocking shots to ignite L.A.’s breaks. He wound up recording a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting.
Lastly, LeBron James put on a show as he got loose for several dunks including a lefty jam and reverse dunk that got the crowd going. James finished with 20 points, six assists and three rebounds.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will take on the New York Knicks on Sunday and the conclusion of their road trip will come on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets.
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