LeBron sets another mark as Lakers cruise without Luka

The few doubts there were about how this game between the Lakers and Wizards at Crypto Arena would end did not lead many people astray. Luka Dončić’s absence was an obstacle for the home team, though not a particularly difficult one to overcome given the circumstances.

The Slovenian star had to watch from the sidelines because he was serving a suspension for picking up 16 technical fouls in a single regular season. Once that ends, the count resets. He had already been spared the penalty once – not twice. Some were thinking: better this day than another. Because the Washington, D.C., franchise was never going to offer the same resistance as others. The situation was not planned, but it worked out perfectly for the team from Los Angeles. They are now one win shy of 50. More than a solid season.

The Lakers are about to post a second straight season at that level, something not seen since Kobe and Pau’s championship years. That is the kind of two-man success they now want to replicate with James and Dončić, amid all the back and forth over what could be the Akron king’s final year with this team. Their path in the Western Conference has opened up purely because of their own strong play, especially over the past two months.

LeBron James, to stay with him for a moment, put up a triple-double in Dončić’s absence – which in his case means extending the record for the oldest player in NBA history to do so, at 41 years and 90 days. He finished with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 12 assists. A complete leader in the absence of the teammate who is pushing for MVP. He appears to have reached the final stretch of the season looking fresh.

The Wizards were not much of a threat, but they do not need to be right now. Their bet is on the opposite. To illustrate it with players who were also out: neither Anthony Davis nor Trae Young, two important gusts of fresh air for the medium term, were available; nor were other notable contributors this season such as Alex Sarr or Kyshawn George. No one is going to be pushed to come back. Winning is not the goal at the moment.

The 40-18 second quarter, after the Wizards had responded bravely and accurately in the first, wiped out any real sense of tension in the game. The home side then managed that gap well and locked down the much-needed win.

Alongside LeBron was Austin Reaves, off target from the field (4-for-11) but reliable at the line (11-for-12) as he came close to a double-double: 19 points and 9 assists. Two reserve teammates matched him in scoring – big man Jaxson Hayes and guard Luke Kennard – with plus-18 and plus-20 marks, respectively, while on the floor. Hachimura, with 14 points, also made a difference compared with some of his recent performances. Bronny looked more nervous. He came in with momentum from the G League but ran into a wall when it came time to shoot, missing eight of his 10 attempts. On the other side, the standout was Will Riley, who reached 20 points, one of the few bright spots of the past month for a Wizards team that, in any case, has now dropped three straight and 58 overall.

A 120-101 result that will not carry much weight beyond this. The Lakers will also get Dončić back for an explosive matchup, with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming to Los Angeles. That will offer a real measure once again of what this team is – and can be – in the title race.

Other NBA results from the day:

• Heat 119 – Sixers 109
• Grizzlies 105 – Suns 131
• Mavericks 94 – Timberwolves 124
• Jazz 113 – Cavaliers 122
• Hawks 112 – Celtics 102
• Spurs 129 – Bulls 114
• Thunder 114 – Pistons 110

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

5 Deandre Ayton
18 Kobe Bufkin
28 Rui Hachimura
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
23 LeBron James
10 Luke Kennard
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
12 Jake LaRavia
15 Austin Reaves
17 Drew Timme
2 Jarred Vanderbilt

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
5 Deandre Ayton	22	12	7	2	5	1	2	0	3	2/2	5/5	0/0	0	0
18 Kobe Bufkin	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/1	0	1
28 Rui Hachimura	25	14	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	1/2	5/7	1/3	0	2
11 Jaxson Hayes	19	19	7	2	5	0	0	0	2	2/3	7/7	1/1	0	1
9 Bronny James Jr.	25	6	1	0	1	1	2	1	0	2/2	2/5	0/5	0	2
23 LeBron James	33	21	10	1	9	12	4	0	1	4/6	7/13	1/3	0	0
10 Luke Kennard	23	19	2	1	1	1	1	1	0	1/1	3/5	4/5	0	3
14 Maxi Kleber	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	1
12 Jake LaRavia	27	4	3	0	3	2	0	3	1	0/0	2/3	0/0	0	3
15 Austin Reaves	27	19	3	1	2	9	5	1	0	11/12	4/7	0/4	0	0
17 Drew Timme	5	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	2
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	23	4	8	2	6	1	1	1	0	2/4	1/2	0/1	0	0

Washington Wizards

Stats

7 Bub Carrington
9 Justin Champagnie
13 Sharife Cooper
16 Anthony Gill
8 Jaden Hardy
12 Tre Johnson
27 Will Riley
0 Tristan Vukcevic
5 Jamir Watkins

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
7 Bub Carrington	28	5	1	0	1	7	4	0	0	0/0	1/3	1/3	0	2
9 Justin Champagnie	26	18	4	1	3	2	0	1	0	1/1	7/10	1/2	0	2
13 Sharife Cooper	19	3	2	0	2	5	1	0	0	1/2	1/4	0/2	0	1
16 Anthony Gill	35	11	5	1	4	1	0	1	1	1/2	5/7	0/0	0	3
8 Jaden Hardy	22	11	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	1/2	2/3	2/5	0	0
12 Tre Johnson	22	11	6	0	6	2	1	2	0	0/0	4/6	1/6	0	4
27 Will Riley	35	20	2	0	2	2	2	1	0	3/3	7/12	1/7	0	2
0 Tristan Vukcevic	20	14	3	1	2	1	0	4	1	5/6	3/6	1/6	0	3
5 Jamir Watkins	27	8	5	2	3	5	1	2	0	0/0	4/7	0/4	0	5