This was a drubbing of epic proportions.
There was not a lot to be excited about Thursday as the Washington Wizards got manhandled by the Los Angeles Lakers in a 134-96 contest at Capital One.
Coming off a wire-to-wire loss against the Toronto Raptors the night before, the Wizards at least held a lead in this one. Kyshawn George hit a three to put Washington up 13-11 at the 7:31 mark of the first quarter. The lead lasted all of 20 seconds after old pal Rui Hachimura answered with a three of his own.
Whatever fire the Wiz came out with to start this game was extinguished in an instant. The Lakers led 42-29 after the first quarter and continued to pile on in the second. Like a boxer saved by the bell, the Wizards heard the halftime buzzer with the team down 78-45.
The deficit ballooned to as high as 42 points as momentum never shifted after the break. LeBron James dissected the Wiz all evening, tallying 24 points and 11 assists in just 27 minutes of action.
The fourth quarter was a garbage time extravaganza, highlighted by Bronny James playing significant minutes. Bronny-watch was the only thing keeping us folks sane on the Playback stream, because Thursday’s effort was arguably the worst of the season for the Wiz — and that’s saying something.
Kuzma and Jordan Poole combined to shoot 8/29 from the floor to lead us in scoring with 32 points between them. Corey Kispert was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.
The 38-point margin of defeat was Washington’s second-worst of the season as the losing streak extended to 16 games. The team will have a chance to snap it on Saturday on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.