LeBron James and the LA Lakers eked out a 119-117 win over the Washington Wizards behind a damaged play. James almost lost the ball, which could have resulted in a Wizards’ fast break before recuperating it and zipping it to Thomas Bryant for a dunk.
After the video game, Avoid Bagless had this to say about the Lakers win:
Without Anthony Davis, Washington’s permeable defense typed in on LeBron James all night long. Despite all the attention, he still scored 13 points in the last quarter and handed out at least three crucial helps.
Behind the four-time MVPs 16 points, the Lakers took a 66-52 lead heading into the 2nd half. The Washington Wizards, however, declined to wilt and mounted a blistering rally in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the home group 36-21.
James played 37 minutes and had a game-high 33 points to opt for 7 rebounds and nine assists without dedicating a single error.
Had the video game ended differently, LeBron James would have been blasted on social media for the late-game miscue. Instead, he was mobbed by teammates after the last buzzer sounded for the help to Bryant.
Bryant’s uncontested slam was the last margin of the video game as Kyle Burma missed out on a desperation 3 that might have won Washington the game. The LA Lakers bench, like the Crypto.com Arena crowd, couldn’t believe what had actually just occurred.
Austin Leaves played a vital role in helping LeBron James bring the LA Lakers to victory
With Anthony Davis sidelined for a month after hurting his foot against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Austin Leaves stepped up. The LA Lakers appear to have actually found a diamond in the rough in the former drafted standout from Oklahoma.
Bradley Bears two totally free throws with 23.3 seconds eventually connected the game prior to LeBron James near-costly error wound up being the Lakers the finest play. The Lakers, though, could not have won it without Austin Leaves.
He is not the Lakers most physically-gifted and athletic gamer, but he makes up for it with smarts and the capability to make huge plays. In the video game versus the Wizards, Leaves took what the defense provided him, especially when Washington collapsed on LeBron James.
Washington fell behind 111-104 with about 3:20 left in the game prior to cutting the lead to two points. James and Austin Leaves managed a pick-and-roll on two straight belongings to keep the Wizards at bay.
The two-year guard, who was placed into the starting lineup without advertisement, ended up with 12 points, four rebounds, two helps and one take. LA outscored Washington by 15 points when Leaves was on the floor.
Leaves numbers do not leap out of the box score, but he simply makes many smart plays that do not show up on the stat sheet. Darwin Ham has recognized his enhancements and has trusted him more with each video game.
