Coming off Friday’s heroic win over the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers looked poised for back-to-back wins for the first time in many weeks early in Saturday’s contest against the Washington Wizards.
L.A. got off to a 36-26 lead at the end of the first quarter, It led by as many as 15 in the third period, but then it lost its mojo.
The Wizards went on a 10-2 run to end the quarter and pulled to within six at the start of the fourth quarter. Midway through the final frame, they took the lead, as the Lakers could not stop Washington center Kristaps Porzingis, who had 27 points.
Defense – one of the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses this season, was ultimately their downfall in their 127-119 loss. They allowed the Wizards to shoot 51.8 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range for the game while also allowing 31 free throw attempts.
Stanley Johnson: B+
Johnson had a strong offensive game, going 5-of-9 from the field and hitting both of his free throw attempts, although he went 0-of-2 from downtown.
He scored 12 points in 25 minutes while also getting four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Austin Reaves: B-
Reaves returned to the starting lineup on Saturday and scored nine points in 27 minutes on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 from downtown. He also added two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Malik Monk: A
Monk was red-hot from the field against Washington, making 6-of-9 shots and 3-of-5 from downtown. He had 17 points in 28 minutes, to go along with three assists.
However, he was underwhelming down the stretch, scoring just three points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers needed more from him during that stretch, as it was the stretch that lost them the game.
Russell Westbrook: A
Although Westbrook had five turnovers, he was strong in just about every other facet of the game. Just one night after posting a triple-double and hitting the 3-point shot that forced overtime, he put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one blocked shot.
His shooting efficiency was outstanding, as he went 10-of-15 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. His mid-range jumper was also wet, as it helped keep L.A. in the contest down the stretch.
Could he be starting to churn it up near the end of the season like he did last year as a member of the Wizards?
LeBron James: A+
James feasted again with 38 points on 16-of-29 shooting, 10 rebounds and six assists. The way he continues to defy Father Time is simply something to behold at age 37, especially with the insane mileage he has.
He did all that tonight on the second of a back-to-back set of games while continuing to deal with a problematic left knee.
In the first half, he notched yet another milestone when he surpassed Karl Malone to move into second-place in career points. At this rate, he will overtake Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time leading scorer at some point next season as long as he remains healthy.
Carmelo Anthony: A-
After missing Friday’s game due to illness, Anthony gave the Lakers a lift with his shooting. He made 5-of-10 shots from the field and 3-of-6 from downtown to give the team 13 points in 23 minutes, along with four rebounds.
Wenyen Gabriel: B-
One night after a career-best outing, Gabriel played just 12 minutes, partly due to Anthony’s return. The newcomer had four rebounds, but he was just 1-of-3 from the field and scored four points.
Avery Bradley: C
Bradley had little impact on Saturday. In 18 minutes he took just two shots, making one of them to score two points while adding two rebounds.
Talen Horton-Tucker: D+
It was a rough game for Horton-Tucker, as he missed all five of his shots, had two turnovers and did not get to the free throw line. However, he did contribute by getting three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
D.J. Augustin: D
Augustin had a weak outing, going 1-of-3 from the field for two points in 18 minutes. He had no assists or rebounds.
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