Lakers Capped Their Road Trip with a Victory Over a Tough Wizards Squad

 

WASHINGTON, DC –  APRIL 3: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on April 3, 2024 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Wole Akinso

(@Wole_USS)

Washington, DC—Anthony Davis helps the Los Angeles Lakers pull past a resilient Washington Wizards squad, 125-120.

The game started promising for the Wizards.  The team jumped on the Lakers early, building a 19-8 lead in the first quarter.  Within that 19-8 lead, the team went five for five from the three-point line.

The Lakers responded on a furious run in the quarter led by Davis.  Davis helped the Lakers go on a 18-2 run, which resulted in a 26-21 Lakers’ lead in the first quarter.  The all-star center finished the quarter with 19 points and six rebounds, putting the Lakers ahead 39-29.

The Lakers seemed to be on cruise control until the Wizards moved to a defense zone late into the third quarter to change the flow of the game.  The Wizards active zone defense helped them cut the Lakers’ 101-86 third quarter lead to a 103-101 Lakers lead with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter. 

“It changed the rhythm of the game.  They were hurting us inside a little bit; made them shoot a little bit more from the perimeter, made them a little more stagnant.  That was a big effect for us— helped us get back in the game,” said interim Wizards coach Brian Keefe.

Wizards’ rookie Tristan Vukcevic led the charge in the fourth quarter.  He had 8 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.  Interim coach Keefe was very complimentary of Vukcevic’s defensive play in the fourth quarter.

“He was really effective in our zone using length. We’re learning about him every day—what his skills and strengths are.  So, this is a great period for him to get these experiences and he played really well.” 

As the Wizards drew closer, Lakers stars Lebron James and Davis figured out how to crack the Wizards’ zone defense.  The Lakers answered the Wizards furious comeback with a 14-4 run to push their lead to 117-105 late in the final quarter.  James and Davis combined for 15 points in the quarter.  James finished the game with 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.  His counterpart, Davis, finished the game with 35 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.  With 1:21 left in the game and score being 125-112, the Lakers seemingly had the game handled.  This resulted in Lakers coach Darvin Ham and Wizards interim coach Keefe sitting their starters. 

The Wizards reserves went on a furious run, cutting the Lakers lead to a five-point margin (125-120) with 20 seconds left.  The comeback was highlighted by Wizards guard Justin Champagnie, who mad two big three-pointers to put a scare into the Lakers.

“JC [Justin Champagnie] did a great job, Jared Butler, Patrick Baldwin and AG [Anthony Gil] when they were in, they really made that run,” said Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.

The Wizards’ run forced Lakers coach Ham to put back his starters in the game.  James believes his young reserves will learn from giving up a 13-point lead with about a minute left in the game.

“That’s how you learn.  The best teacher in life is experience and I guarantee they’d be better next time if they get put in that situation.”

This game was also highlighted by the return of Wizards 2019 1^st round lottery pick Rui Hachimura.  The Wizards traded Rui Hachimura to the Lakers last season.  Hachimura scored 19 points against his former team.  Lakers coach Ham explains his happiness with the growth of the former Wizards forward.

“Rui has been great, and you can see him working at different things, watching film with the coaches, watching film [with] all of us as a group, [and] him working on the small areas of his game.  Everyone talks about the scoring, [and] shooting at a very high clip from the three-point line.  Obviously, he is able to finish around the basket and has a very reliable mid-range game, but I think where he’s making his most strides is on defense.”

With this victory, the Lakers finished their six-game road trip with a 5-1 record.   Hachimura averaged 19.2 points per game on the road trip. 

After seeing the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday and Lebron James tonight, the Wizards will take on a young Portland Trail Blazers team Friday night.