Luka Doncic has another triple-double in Lakers' rout of Wizards
Published in Basketball
WASHINGTON — The “competitive edge” Lakers coach JJ Redick requested from his players showed itself right away in the form of dominance from Luka Doncic, more outstanding play from LeBron James and an impressive outing from center Deandre Ayton.
By the time Doncic, James and Ayton completed their night, they had combined for 85 points and 27 rebounds in helping the Lakers build a 38-point lead en route to a 142-111 victory over the Washington Wizards Friday night.
And it centered around the brilliance of Doncic, his triple-double of 37 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds the catalyst for the Lakers winning for the fifth time in their last seven games. He was efficient with his play, too, shooting 13 for 21 from the field and 6 for 13 from 3-point range.
Ayton was a tower of strength with 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists.
James had the crowd engaged all game with his play that led to 20 points and six assists.
The left ankle soreness that had Doncic listed as questionable was not an issue for the NBA All-Star, his first half showing that he was playing at another level with a triple-double of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the first 24 minutes of Friday night’s game against the overmatched Washington Wizards.
Doncic dazzled with no-look and lob passes along with 3-pointers that seemed to impress him, considering he looked over to the Lakers’ bench after several spectacular 3s.
The 41-year-old James put on a show, throwing down lob passes for dunks, drawing cheers and applause from the fans inside the Capital One Arena.
There was the lob from Ayton that James threw down left-handed, making his teammates leap off their seats and fans gasp and cheer. For added emphasis, James stared at his left hand as he made his way down the court, a knowing look on his face.
There was the lob from Marcus Smart that James threw down for a reverse dunk, again bringing the fans and his teammates out of their seats.
There was the moment James drove by Alex Sarr and threw down another dunk, causing his teammates to jump out of their seats again and the fans to cheer even louder.
The Lakers had lost their previous game in Cleveland on Wednesday night by 30 points, an embarrassing effort that L.A. wanted to rebound from against the Wizards.
In building a 77-48 lead at the half, the Lakers demonstrated that they were listening to Redick’s orders.
It was the third time this season that the Lakers have scored 77 points in a half.
“Yeah, I think playing with a competitive edge and playing together on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “We’ve talked a lot recently just about doing your job. If you’re supposed to be the low man, be the low man. These guys all have shown they can do it and I think the theme of our season has been the ups and downs and sort of the consistency that we’re searching for on a night-to-night basis.”
Etc.
Though Austin Reaves (left calf strain) had been upgraded from out to questionable for the game against the Wizards, the Lakers guard did not play. He now has missed 18 straight games since suffering the injury on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets.
Reaves has been working out as he progresses toward a return. The Lakers play again Sunday at the New York Knicks.
“Yeah, he continues to progress. He hasn’t had any setbacks,” Redick said. “Yesterday was five weeks from the injury. He’s right on schedule, if not a little bit ahead of schedule. So it’s just him being fully confident in his body. And he continues to get great work on the court.”
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