LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers closed out the month of November on a high note as they beat the Washington Wizards, 125-103.
The win was their tenth in a row and it was an impressive one as nearly everyone who saw the floor had a good game. The team’s two All-Star players, James and Anthony Davis, both finished the night with double-doubles and were able to rest the entirety of the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
Even with the Lakers playing softer competition, there is always a chance they can drop a game as teams have given them their best shot. When James was asked how he and the rest of the roster have managed to have success against inferior teams, he explained they do not take into account wins or losses.
“Cause we’re not paying attention to records nor are we paying attention to ours or the opponent’s. We’re just going out and playing and trying to get better every game. Like Coach said, the team’s that have sub-.500 records aren’t sub-.500 teams. If you look at tonight, you see what San Antonio was able to do at home and they’re just a very well-organized team and Memphis been playing better and all the teams — Washington’s been playing better, they’re the No. 1 or No. 2 offensive rating team in the league,” James explained.
“We just gotta be ready and we can’t worry about what the record is and who we’re playing. We gotta continue to play our type of basketball and we’ve been able to do that.”
The past few games the Lakers have played have come against teams who are currently not projected to make the 2020 NBA playoffs, yet they have proven to be some of their most difficult matchups as they all came out highly motivated and energized right out the gate. There were several instances in each game where Los Angeles looked like they were going to lose, but they managed to string together runs to help them pull out some close wins.
At 17-2, it is fair to assume the rest of the league will do their best to try and knock down a Los Angeles team that is playing well-ahead of schedule. Seeing them rack up wins has been fun, but there will be tougher times ahead with the upcoming slate of games.
The Dallas Mavericks are next on the schedule and they could be a problem as they forced them into an overtime thriller the last time they met. The Lakers managed to win that game, but Luka Doncic and the rest of the Mavericks have vastly improved since then.