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Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from Wizards’ Big Win vs. Lakers

By Andrew E. Johnson

WASHINGTON , DC - DECEMBER 16: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball during the game against Lance Stephenson #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 16, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON , DC - DECEMBER 16: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball during the game against Lance Stephenson #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 16, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Washington Wizards took care of business on Sunday night with a convincing win over the Los Angeles Lakers

It’s been a while since the Washington Wizards (12-18) got the better of LeBron James, but Sunday night made up for it. The Wizards completely demolished the Los Angeles Lakers (18-12) at Capital One Arena with a 128-110 victory in a game that was never hardly ever close, denying James his sixth straight win in DC. The victory also helped snap Washington’s four-game losing streak.

John Wall led the charge in what was his best game of the season, filling up the entire box score. When all was said and done, Wall finished with 40 points, 6 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

Bradley Beal continued his streak of eight consecutive 20-point outputs, putting up 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Jeff Green chipped in with 20 points of his own, and Sam Dekker led the shorthanded bench unit with 20 of his own.

Meanwhile, Washington’s defense was able to limit James to one of his worst games ever against the franchise. He finish with just 13 points (on 5-for-16 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, a far cry from his triple-double showing in just three quarters against the Charlotte Hornets the night before.

Lonzo Ball also failed to follow up on his triple-double in Charlotte on Saturday, which made him and James the first pair of teammates to have triple-doubles in the same game since 2007 when Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did for the New Jersey Nets. He finished with only 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Lakers were led by 25 points off of the bench from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 20 points from Kyle Kuzma.

Homegrown talent Josh Hart, a graduate of Sidwell Friends and Silver Springs, Md. native, didn’t impress either: In 21 minutes of play, Hart had just 4 points and not a single rebound or assist.

Although the victory didn’t change the Wizards’ playoff standing, it was a necessary win to avoid falling even further behind in the Eastern Conference. As of this writing, the Wizards are still in 11th and 2.5 games out of the eighth seed. They will travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

What can the Wizards take away from this victory to keep up the momentum? Let’s take a look.

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