Wizards drop fifth straight to Lakers
The Washington Wizards got their last long road trip of the season started on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, but they could not keep pace with the Lakers, as their offense was too efficient to overcome, cruising to a 124-106 victory.
Bradley Beal led all Wizards with 32 points. Jabari Parker was the only Wizard who came close to that with 18 points.
On the other side, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led all Lakers with 29 points while LeBron James and JaVale McGee added double-doubles respectively (23 points, 14 assists) and (20 points, 15 rebounds). All three helped the Lakers shoot nearly 54% from the field, while moving the ball well. Los Angeles also took control of the glass on both ends of the floor, out-rebounding Washington 52-39.
The Wizards shot just 43%, but struggled immensely from beyond the arc, shooting 6-for-32. A cold start in the first half caused the Wizards to fall behind by 11 at the break. A red-hot start to the third for Los Angeles proved to be the turning point of the night. The Lakers started on an 8-0 run, which became part of a longer 14-4 outburst that put Washington down by 19 points by the middle of the period. Bradley Beal got hot from three and gave the Wizards a spark, but it was at the beginning of the fourth when the Lakers really blew the game away.
The Wizards trip out west continues Wednesday in Phoenix, where they will take on the Suns at 10:00 P.M. ET.
