Davis and James led Lakers to their 10th consecutive win by beating 125–103 Wizards on Friday night
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 13 rebounds (8–15 FG, 1–2 3s, 2 assists and 3 blocks), and LeBron James had 23 points and 11 assists (9/16 FG, 4–8 3s, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 steal) before both superstars sit on the bench during the fourth quarter, and the Lakers got their 10th consecutive win 125–103 over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. The 10-game winning streak is something that hasn’t been accomplished since December 2009, when Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol rode that fast start all the way to their most recent championship.
“We have championship aspirations, but that’s not what’s here right now,” James said. “What’s here is our next opponent. We want to continue to get better. We have guys who have been there and know what it takes. This is a long process, and we can never shortcut it. But we can enjoy it along the way.”
“I think we’re tested every night,” Davis said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot no matter what, because of who we are. But it’s up to us to make sure we lock in.”
Quin Cook finished with 17 points (7/11 FG, 3–4 3s, 1 rebound, 4 assists) coming off the bench, while JaVale McGee had 15 points (5/7 FG, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks) for the Lakers.
Bradley Beal had 18 points and nine assists and rookie Rui Hachimura had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards.
KEYS: Transition offense, fast pace, ball movement are some of the factors that have led the Lakers to a 10–0 games winning streak.
Wizards had an ideal beginning by making a 7–0 run (two 2-point shots by Rui Hachimura and one 3-point shot by Isaiah Thomas). Unfortunately, this advantage changed rapidly. Lebron made his first field goal with an easy layup. Lakers had 4 quick turnovers within a few minutes in the game with 7:46 left in the first quarter and Wizards presumed upon it to get to 15–4 really fast. Kentavious Caldwell Pope with a quick lob (15–6) and then Danny Green hit a 3 with 5:51 left (17–11) in the first quarter of the game to cut most of Wizards lead. Anthony Davis makes a 3-point shot and in the next play, Wizards lost the ball and McGee went to the rim with force (17–16). Lakers had a 12–4 run.
Later, LeBron hits a three to give the lead 19–21 for the Lakers. Rajon Rondo hits another 3-point shot to make it 19–24 for the Lakers. Lakers were great defensively and were able to extend their lead to +11 (19–30) with 2:29 left. That was a 26–4 run for the home team. Rondo hit a 3-point shot (19–33) — Lakers have been impressed with him shooting 44% from the 3-point line and as you can imagine, they designed some plays for him.
Anthony Davis had 19 points and 7 rebounds totally when the Lakers got their biggest lead (47–70) in the first half.
In the second half, Lakers extended their lead from +21 points to +39 points (51–90) with 7:15 left in the 3rd quarter. The Wizards were struggling a lot in the first three quarters with some turnovers and the ball not falling in the basket. Imagine how it is to be in the third quarter losing 64–93. All the disappointment was pictured on Beal’s face who was so aggressive even if he had only 14 points in the first half and 18 points totally.
The second group of players was used by both teams with the Lakers having a 25-point lead (83–108) in the fourth quarter.
INJURY
At the end of the third quarter, Kyle Kuzma tried to grab a rebound and landed awkwardly on David Bertans leg but he stood up and played for a couple of minutes until coach Frank Vogel took him out of the game.
It turned out that he has a left ankle sprain, and X-rays were negative, coach Frank Vogel said.