Lakers 111, Wizards 116
By Brian Booth
Nov 26, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) dribbles the ball as Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake (5) defends in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers started a 3-game East coast road trip with a 116-111 loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in Washington. Jordan Farmar led the Lakers off the bench with a team-high 22 points (9-11 FG) including 3-4 from 3 point range. He also added a team high 8 assists. Pau Gasol was solid as well, finishing with 17 points on 8-15 shooting, along with 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Washington’s John Wall led all scorers in the game with 31 points on 10-18 shooting, including 11-12 from the free throw line. Wall also added a game-high 9 assists
Both teams shot the ball well, with the Lakers shooting a combined 53% and Washington shooting a combined 52.9%. The Lakers also shot neatly 50% from 3 point range, hitting 13-28 attempts, while the Wizards only managed 6-21. However, the Wizards shot 22 free throws, making 18 of them, while the Lakers only had 13 attempts, connecting on 10 of them.
Despite the loss, the Lakers were very competitive in this game, as it did come down to the finals few possessions for both team. The ball moved well, and you could see players are getting more comfortable with their roles and each other. It is also becoming quite evident nearly everyone on the roster has a green light to shoot.
With the loss, the Lakers fell to 7-8 on the season, with only 1 road win. They next play tomorrow night in Brooklyn, where the Nets will also be playing the 2nd night of back to backs,
The Lakers played without Chris Kaman for the 3rd straight game (back pain), and continue to be without Kobe Bryant (achilles) and Steve Nash (nerve root irritation).
The Wizards played without Bradley Beal who they announced prior to tonight’s game would be out for 2 weeks while recovering from a foot injury.
The next stop on the road trip will be tomorrow night in Brooklyn.