Anthony Davis has Massive Night in Lakers’ Win Over Washington
The Washington Wizards dropped their third game in a row in a 119-130 loss at the hands of the Lakers. The game wasn’t the only thing the Wiz lost, Bradley Beal left the game with hamstring tightness and didn’t return to the floor. Beal played a total of 3 minutes and 30 seconds against the Lakers.
There is no doubt that the absence of Brad for most of the game was a large factor for the loss. Nonetheless, Anthony Davis was another key factor in the loss, putting on a show in the District. Davis went for 55 points while shooting 73%, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He was a force on both sides of the ball and yet another big-name player the Wizards let loose for a big game.
Now Davis might have had a huge game, but Porzingis didn’t play all that poorly. Kristaps scored a team-high 27 points and hauled in 9 rebounds for himself. However, he was inefficient, shooting 44% from the field and 16% from deep. It was another game in which Porzingis just couldn’t get it going from beyond the arc. Kyle Kuzma also continued his struggles from deep, going 1-7, despite tallying 26 points on the night. Kuz, though, was active defensively, amassing 2 steals (3 other Wizards players did so as well).
The early exit for Beal meant that Kispert had to yet again step into the starting five. Kispert flowed well in the loss and shot the ball extremely effectively. Corey was 75% from the field and 66% from three on his route to a 16-point night. Kispert has looked very confident in his deep-ball shooting as of recently, allowing himself to launch some really deep shots and keeping the defense honest when guarding him.
Washington only accumulated a 5-point lead at one point during the game but spent the majority of the night chasing it. On the other hand, Los Angeles found themselves up by 29, their largest lead through the course of the game. AD was the main reason, but LeBron also had a great night with 29 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. However, Lonnie Walker IV put together his best night in the last 5 games, bagging 20 points, a steal, and an assist in the Lakers’ win.
The Wizards were able to finally bring their turnovers down to 10, which was less than the Lakers’ 15. Despite this accomplishment, their Achilles heel Sunday night was the foul trouble they found themselves in. Kuzma fouled out of the game and Daniel Gafford had 4 to his name in a night where the Wizards tallied 23 team fouls (the Lakers were able to hit 16 of their 23 free throws).
Washington sits at 11-13 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, meaning they are now out of the play-in for the time being. They have some much-needed time off and don’t suit up until Wednesday. They will be traveling to Chicago to play the Bulls for an 8 pm EST tip-off.
