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 on Friday. The Lakers improved to 4-2 on their season-high eight-game trip.
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 too, shooting 13 for 21 from the field and six for 13 from three-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 All-Star guard, his first half showing that he was playing at another level with a triple-double of 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the first 24 minutes against the overmatched Wizards.
Doncic dazzled with no-look and lob passes along with three-pointers that seemed to impress even him, considering he looked over to the Lakers’ bench after several spectacular threes.
The 41-year-old James put on a show, throwing down lobs for dunks, drawing cheers and applause from the fans inside Capital One Arena.
There was the lob from Ayton that James threw down left-handed, making 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 fans and teammates out of their seats.
There was the moment James drove by Washington’s Alex Sarr and threw down another dunk, causing teammates to jump out of their seats again and fans to cheer even louder.
The Lakers lost their previous game in Cleveland on Wednesday night by 30 points, an embarrassing effort that they 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 the Lakers 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) was upgraded to questionable for the game, the Lakers guard did not play. He has missed 18 straight games since suffering the injury on Christmas 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.
“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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