LeBron keep Lakers on the winning side  

Los Angeles, CA (News4usonline) – The “Old Man” still has some juice left in the tank. The Washington Wizards can probably attest to this fact. 

In a splendid display of all-around perfection, Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James operated with exact precision in leading the purple and gold to a 120-101 win against the Wizards at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. 

“I mean we had a professional approach,” James said afterward in his postgame comments. “We came in, we got the job done, understanding, doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re still trying to build habits for the postseason, so it was a good win for us.” 

With Luka Doncic out of the lineup for at least one game, James was called upon to lead the way for the Lakers. The veteran superstar did a little more than just his part. Running the point guard position with ease, James posted a triple-double against the Wizards. 

James scored 21 points, passed out 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds as he dictated play on both ends of the court. 

“?I’ve had moments more this year than last year,” James remarked. “But I’ve enjoyed more in the moment. It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool to know that I’m at this point in my career and I’m still able to do those things. It’s super dope, it’s super humbling and just trying to put the work in or continue to put the work in and just, and those are the results of it.” 

As much as James dominated the action, this win belonged to the entire team. The Lakers had six players to score in double figures. Four of the five starters for the Lakers scored in double-digits with James leading the way. 

There were a couple of areas in the game where the Lakers outplayed the Wizards. Los Angeles outrebounded Washington 48-33 and had a decisive advantage in field goal shooting. The Lakers made 55 percent of their shots from the field. On the flip side, the Wizards struggled a bit, making 44 percent of their shots. 

For the night, outside of James’ strong performance, the role players for the Lakers stepped up and contributed. Jaxon Hayes, Austin Reaves and Luke Kennard all scored 19 points in victory No. 46 for the Lakers.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick had high praise after the game for all three players. 

“He’s a pro,” Redick said of Kennard. “You know, he’s just very steady and very consistent in execution and in effort.”

Hayes went eight-for-eight in field goal attempts and added seven rebounds. Redick was impressed by the way Hayes and center DeAndre Ayton performed. 

“Yeah. I mean he had a great first run, and DA (Deandre Ayton) had a terrific second run,” Redick said. “Both of those guys were really good in the first half.  I thought overall our defense was pretty good in the first quarter. Then we switched to zone and, you know, held them to 18 points in the second quarter.”