Wizards outmuscle weary Lakers
In the final game of a four-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers ran into a buzz saw in the streaking Washington Wizards, losing handily 116-107 on the road Wednesday.
Russell Westbrook led the way for Washington finishing with a triple-double of 18 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists, his 30th of the season.
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27 points and center Alex Len added 18 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, Washington swept the season series with the Lakers for the first time since 2016. The Wizards improved to 28-34 on the year and have won 11 of their last 13 games.
Los Angeles dropped to 36-26 with the loss and finished 1-3 on the road trip. The Lakers are 2-5 in their last seven games.
In a game Anthony Davis said was a must-win earlier this week, the Lakers jumped out to a 35-31 lead. However, powered by Westbrook, Beal and Robin Lopez, Washington outscored Los Angeles 30-20 to take a 61-55 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Those three combined for 32 points in the first half.
The Wizard extended their lead to 16 points in the third quarter and pushed that lead to as many as 19 in the fourth.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers return home to lick their wounds with a three-game homestand starting with the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Top player: Anthony Drummond finished with another double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
What I liked: Trailing by as many as 19 points, the Lakers cut Washington's lead to single digits with just over five minutes left in the game. The Lakers finished with 10 steals and seven blocks, and only turned the ball over 10 times.
What I didn’t like: Washington finished with a 62-54 paint points advantage over the Lakers.
Injuries: Alex Caruso was ruled out for Wednesday’s game against Washington due to back spasms. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rolled his ankle but had it re-taped and returned to the game.
They said it: “He'll tell me when he's ready -- him and the medical team will tell me when he's ready. They're having conversations about it each day. They are monitoring his progress each day, and where he's at. And when he's ready to play, he'll play.” – Lakers head coach Frank Vogel commenting on what it's going to take for LeBron James to play when the Lakers return home this weekend. According to reports, James could return from a right, high-ankle sprain next week.
