The Washington Wizards make it 16 in a row with an 116-108 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Coming into this game, the Lakers knew the Wizards are one of the best home teams in the league. They came out strong and made it a competitive game early. After the first quarter, they only trailed by two points. However, Washington has been one of the hottest teams and showed why. Behind Bradley Beal’s ten-second quarter points, they outscored them 27-15. The Wizards went into halftime with a 14-point lead, leading 58-44.
The second half dilemmas continued as Los Angeles shot 62 percent in the third and got within six points. Led by Marcin Gortat, Washington finished the quarter out strong. Although the Lakers outscored them 35-32, the Wizards went into the final period with an 11-point lead.
Finishing Strong for Number 16
Having to rely on their bench to play well, the Wizards lost their big lead. The Lakers went as far to even tie the game up with about nine minutes left in the game. This forced coach Scott Brooks to put all-star John Wall and Beal back into the game.
Washington got the lead back up to eight points, but Los Angeles would not give in. They cut the lead back down to three points. With less than a minute to go and the Wizards up by four points, Wall showed why he is a four-time all-star. He buried a jump shot as the shot clock ran out with 38 seconds left in the game., putting them up by six. Lou Williams takes a jumper but misses. Markieff Morris grabs the rebound and gives it to Wall. Wall knocks down two free throws and seals the win for the home team.
Wall finished the game with 33 points and 11 assists. His backcourt teammate Beal added 23 points. Gortat had 21 points and 14 rebounds while Morris had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Although the Wizards came away with the win, they have to address their bench play problems once again. The bench was outscored 54-16. Jordan Clarkson outscored the entire Wizards bench alone with 20 points.
Looking Forward to The Pelicans
Washington faces off against the Pelicans Saturday night after beating them Sunday night. The Wizards needed to focus on two players, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. Despite them both having good games, the Wizards still came out with a double-digit win. They will have to go into this game with the same game plan. Furthermore, they will need help from their bench to ensure victory. They only had 11 points last game.
Wall had 19 assists Sunday night, leading his squad to a well-needed road win. He will need to be the floor director again to create shots for everybody. Washington is looking to finish strong before the all-star break and going for 17 straight home wins. As a result, they just need to play like they have been and not take this team for granted.
