WASHINGTON — John Wall was at his attacking best: 40 points and 14 assists; one no-look, through-the-legs assist; one buzzer-beating rainbow step-back jumper.
LeBron James was at his sluggish worst: a season-low 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
So it made sense that Wall’s reeling and undermanned Washington Wizards, amid so much losing and infighting and roster flux, would dominate James and his rising Los Angeles Lakers throughout a 128-110 victory Sunday night.
“We’re a team that’s built on energy and depth,” James said. “We didn’t have either tonight.”
A day after he and Lonzo Ball each registered a triple-double in a win at Charlotte, the four-time NBA MVP had six rebounds and three assists and sat out the fourth quarter of a lopsided laugher.
“We did a good job of making it a little difficult on him, showing him a lot of bodies, active hands,” said Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Wall said the key for Washington was its defensive effort, something often missing this season.
“Tried not to let LeBron get going,” Wall said. “He missed a couple easy shots he always makes. Didn’t get a couple calls driving to the basket. … It’s one game, but we know he is who he is.”
Nothing the Lakers tried to do to slow Wall worked as the Wizards emphatically ended a four-game losing streak, going up by as many as 18 in the first quarter and 27 in the third.
“Box-and-1. Triangle-and-2. I haven’t seen that since high school,” Wall said.
James and the Lakers had been 5-1 in the second half of back-to-back sets this season, but they opened Sunday’s game by going 5 for 19, 0 for 8 on 3s. Washington, meanwhile, made its first five shots and 13 of its first 18, taking a 26-8 lead on Wall’s layup.
Wall ended the first half with a baseline jumper over 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler to make it 71-51. Wall turned and slapped palms with a couple of front-row folks, then spread his arms wide and basked in the ovation from a home crowd populated by plenty of spectators in LA jerseys.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
