Luka Doncic punctuated his sixth triple-double of the season with 37 points, leading three Los Angeles scorers with at least 20 points as the visiting Lakers rolled past the Washington Wizards 142-111 on Friday.
Doncic showed no ill effects from the injury he sustained when falling off Cleveland’s elevated court on Wednesday, reaching a triple-double by halftime with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. The guard finished with 13 assists and 11 boards and added three steals.
With Doncic setting the tone, Los Angeles quickly took control of the game, going on a 9-0 run midway through the first quarter to lead 20-11. That early burst gave the Lakers a lead they never lost, and they continued to build on it for the next 40-plus minutes.
Los Angeles’ Deandre Ayton posted 28 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while LeBron James chipped in 20 points and six assists.
Each of the trio shot at least 50% from the floor to power the Lakers to a torrid 52-of-85 (61.2%) field-goal shooting as a team.
The prolific offensive attack led Los Angeles to its second-highest scoring performance of the season, just one game after the Lakers experienced their most lopsided defeat of the campaign, a 30-point setback against the Cavaliers.
The blowout denied Washington in its season-long quest to string together three straight wins. The Wizards came in with back-to-back victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks, but they had no answer for the initial Los Angeles onslaught.
A 20-9 run in the second quarter extinguished any hope of a Washington rally, as the Lakers pushed their 17-point advantage to 28. The gap grew to as many as 38 points in the third quarter.
While Los Angeles had three players score at least 20 points, no Wizard surpassed Malaki Branham’s 17 points off the bench. Twelve of those came from his 4-for-6 shooting from deep, while fellow reserve Will Riley went 3-for-7 from long distance on his way to 13 points.
Washington’s Alex Sarr added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington both chipped in 15 points.
–Field Level Media
