The Los Angeles Lakers came into town Tuesday — only 1-7 away from home at the time — looking for their second road win against a Washington Wizards team that is en route to finally turning the corner. The Wizards were without their leading scorer, second year shooting guard Bradley Beal (20.6 ppg). No worries though as there was no shortage of offense in this game from both sides.
Washington’s starting line-up was in double digits, as it scored a season-high 59 points in the first half. Power forward Nenê Hilario had his career high in points and max player John Wall delivered another 30-point game with nine assists to go with it. Wall, who entered the game as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, definitely played up to that accolade. On several occasions he found open teammates such as small forward Martell Webster who was able to hit open three pointers after the defense defended Wall’s dribble penetration.
The Lakers played without their recent $48.5M contract-extension-recipient, shooting guard Kobe Bryant. In this game they relied heavily on the scoring ability of their reserve guards Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. Center Pau Gasol quietly put up 17 points but the best part of his stat line was the eight assists. Still, the Lakers’ efforts were no match for the output of the Wizards’ offense.
The Wizards still have a lot of work to put in on defense. Hopefully the presence of forward Trevor Ariza back in the lineup will aid in that department, as well as the play of center Marcin Gortat and Nenê down low. Things will only improve as the season progresses granted they all remain healthy.
There was a decent amount of support for the Lakers during this game but the Wizards did not allow that to prevent them from sealing the deal in the final minutes, beating L.A. 116-111.
Michael Meadows is an NBA credentialed media member who covers the Washington Wizards for Sports Journey. He is a creative and talented videographer as well. Follow Mr. Meadows on Twitter: @hypemdws