James has 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season in a 120-101 win, while MVP candidate Luka Doncic serves a one-game suspension after receiving his 16th technical foul last week.
Lakers forward LeBron James holds the ball as Washington Wizards guard Jamir Watkins defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. Falling into a tie for last place in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards proved no match for the Lakers – with or without their MVP candidate, as LeBron James, Austin Reaves and the Lakers cruised to a 120-101 victory.
Taking over primary ball-handling duties from the Slovenian star while he served his one-game suspension after receiving his 16th technical foul last week, Reaves tallied a double-double while James recorded his third triple-double of the season and 125th of his career . The Lakers have now won three consecutive games – all against the Eastern Conference’s bottom three teams – and 15 of their past 17. Heading into the second half of a back-to-back set on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers coach JJ Redick was able to deploy the likes of Bronny James and Drew Timme with 5:49 remaining – and later, guards Dalton Knecht and Kobe Bufkin – to rest his high-usage players ahead of the far more competitive matchup, on paper, to come. The Cavaliers beat the Lakers by 30 points on Jan. 28 in Cleveland, a performance that, albeit just two months ago, came against a different Lakers squad. Gabe Vincent, now with the Atlanta Hawks, was tied for the Lakers’ second-leading scorer that night, while Luke Kennard, who had 19 points on Monday on 7-of-10 shooting had yet to don purple and gold. Reaves was still nursing a left calf strain that kept him off the court, and the start of the Lakers’ nine-game win streak was still a month away. The Lakers are 21-8 record since losing to the Cavaliers and are four wins away from their most wins since the 2010-2011 season. The Lakers’ five first-quarter turnovers – of 15 overall, above their season average – helped the Wizards take a 26-25 lead heading into the second quarter when guard Jamir Watkins dunked with 0.2 seconds on the clock. Washington never backed entirely away, despite trailing by 21 at halftime, getting back within 10 points with 3:13 left in the third quarter. Like a fly, the Lakers eventually swatted the Wizards away. James drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key early in the fourth, re-establishing a 20-point lead at 97-77. The Lakers led by as much as 30 before it was over. Backup center Jaxson Hayes finished with 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting off the bench, while forward Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton also scored in double figures. Will Riley led the Wizards with 20 points.Doncic expressed in Spanish after the Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, that the better he plays in games, the more likely he is to slip in power rankings. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama remain Doncic’s top competition for league MVP honors. Redick was asked Monday afternoon about Doncic’s comments and if he had anything to add, either statistically or anecdotally about his star guard. “Yeah, I would just say, if we continue to finish the season the way we’re playing right now, and he continues to play that way – to me, he is the MVP,” Redick said before Monday’s game. “… I think when we started 15-4 you could have made an argument that he was the MVP then. Well, he’s been the MVP for two of the three segments of the season.” Doncic leads the league in scoring while averaging 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. The 2018-19 Rookie of the Year has one top-three MVP finish; coming in 2023-24 while playing with the Dallas Mavericks.Lakers’ Luka Doncic suspended; LeBron and Bronny James make history75 arrested in downtown LA at ‘No Kings’ protest; federal officers injured, authorities sayInside Paul McCartney’s Friday night performance at LA’s Fonda TheatreBreak up LAUSD before it fails another generationVoices from ‘No Kings’ protests around Southern California
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