Lakers cast spell on Wizards en route to blowout victory

The Lakers had a rare comfortable win on Tuesday, routing the hapless Wizards behind a LeBron James triple-double.

The Lakers led nearly wire-to-wire and by double digits most of Tuesday night as they defeated the Wizards 111-88.

LeBron James notched his first triple-double since turning 40 with 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He also passed Scottie Pippen to move into seventh all-time in steals.

Anthony Davis scored 29 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Austin Reaves pitched in with 16 points and eight assists. Dorian Finney-Smith went 4-6 from behind the arc and ended with 16 points.

It was a messy start with both teams turning the ball over and missing their first shot attempts. The Wizards scored first on a dunk by Bilal Coulibaly after a defensive breakdown by LA.

Rui Hachimura answered back with a dunk off a pass by LeBron. AD started heating up, draining a 3-pointer and converting an alley-oop from Austin.

Halfway through the quarter, LA was nursing a one-point lead. Former Lakers champion Kyle Kuzma knocked down a free throw to tie the game. Dorian knocked down two 3-pointers to help the Lakers gain some cushion with their lead

At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up six.

The Lakers had gotten their biggest lead of the game at 11 into the second quarter. LA’s defense started failing them. A pair of threes by Cory Kispert and Kuz added to an 8-0 run for Washington to make it a three-point game.

LeBron stopped some of the bleeding with a shot in the paint. Austin was doing work, grabbing a rebound and setting up LeBron for a highlight dunk.

LeBron followed that up with a layup that forced a timeout by Washington as LA’s lead ballooned back to double digits.

It was a seven-point lead for the Lakers midway through the period.

AD was shooting 63% from the field and was the leading scorer for LA. LeBron was close with 14 points for himself while shooting 75% from the field.

With 1:45 left, LeBron stripped the ball before finding AD for an off-balance layup which he made and was fouled. Dorian then drilled another 3-pointer, adding to LA’s momentum.

At halftime, the Lakers were up 10.

Both teams started the second half with turnovers. AD was the recipient of another lob for a dunk. LeBron then drained a 3-pointer. AD scored again, then Rui did his usual run along the baseline for a layup adding to what had developed into a 15-point lead for the Lakers.

Much of the quarter belonged to the Lakers as they maintained a big lead, despite some minor efforts from Washington to return.

After the lead reached 18, the Wizards were able to shed some points off to make it a 12-point lead with 2:16 left. A three by Bilal made it a single-digit deficit and capped off a 12-3 run.

Gabe Vincent knocked down a 3-pointer to end the third, giving LA a 12-point lead.

The final frame started with the Lakers missing their first shot and the Wizards making theirs, a 3-pointer. Dorian converted on a dunk to push the lead back to double digits. He then knocked down his fourth 3-pointer to help extend the lead.

Despite the Wizards' valiant efforts, LA was able to withstand each small attack and maintain a big lead.

At the 1:59 mark, benches were unloaded and the win was sealed.

Key Takeaways:

The Lakers should have controlled this team from the first minute to the end, but they let it be close far too many times.

Dorian continues to fit in seamlessly with this Lakers team. He looked much more comfortable with his shot.

The Lakers’ next game will be Thursday against the Boston Celtics at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.