The Los Angeles Lakers continued their Grammy road trip on Thursday with a 134-96 win against the Washington Wizards. The Lakers never looked back after the first couple of minutes of the first quarter, dominating the Wizards early behind an inspired effort by LeBron James.
Following the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised James for setting the tone early in what was the Lakers’ most lopsided win of the season.
“He was awesome. He was aggressive, he talked, his willingness to trust his teammates and create for others and create for himself was awesome,” JJ Redick said. “Don’t overlook the fact that, by the way, he’s 40 years old in year 22 with every accolade under the sun, and he comes out on a Thursday night in a non-nationally televised game against a team that’s really struggling, and he’s the tone-setter.”
LeBron James finished the game with 24 points, three rebounds and 11 assists in 27 minutes of play. He shot 9-of-19 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. He did not play after the third quarter.
James came into the game questionable with a foot injury he’s been dealing with all season. The Lakers were without Anthony Davis who left the road trip early after suffering an abdominal injury during the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week.
LeBron James in year 22
This offseason, James and the Lakers agreed to a two-year contract extension with a player option for next season. James, who is in his 22nd season in the NBA and turned 40 years old last month, is still a pillar of excellence in the league.
Over the summer, James was arguably the best player on Team USA during the gold medal run, and he was awarded the Olympics’ Most Valuable Player.
James missed three games earlier this season while dealing with the aforementioned foot injury, but since he’s been back he’s shown no signs of a decline in his play.
Coming into the Wizards matchup, James had appeared in 42 games this season, at a little over 34 minutes per game. He has been averaging 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists with splits of 51.3 percent shooting from the field, 38.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Following the win, the Lakers improved to 27-18 and are now 3-1 on this current road trip. They are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference standings and just a mere game behind the Denver Nuggets for fourth.
