Lakers vs. Wizards, 108-104: Full Highlights, Final Score and More

The Lakers rebounded off of a terrible loss to take down the Wizards on the road

There didn’t seem to be any place to go but up for the Los Angeles Lakers after they became the first victim of the Philadelphia 76ers all season on Tuesday night. Throw in the fact that the Lakers were going to be up against a Washington Wizards team on Wednesday night that just defeated LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champs and things looked even bleaker for the Lakers.

However, the Lakers came out looking like a team that was ready to turn the corner after being humiliated in Philadelphia the night before.

For one, Julius Randle was incredibly aggressive on both ends of the floor. The “second-year” power forward captured a career-high in rebounds, including grabbing seven on the offensive boards. He was attacking the rim when he had the ball and held his own on the interior defensively.

Moreover, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, and D’Angelo Russell all performed well in their own right. While John Wall had a big night against the porous Lakers perimeter defense, Clarkson, Williams, and Russell forced a multitude of turnovers and then found good shots off those turnovers to capitalize on them. It was the best game that the Los Angeles backcourt has played as a unit all season.

More from Lake Show Life

• Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
• Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
• Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
• Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
• Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated

There was nothing more impressive, though, than the vintage performance from Kobe Bryant. Kobe looked like a different player for the first three quarters of the game, not stopping the ball in the offense whenever it came to him and mostly taking solid shots as opposed to forcing it.

Kobe started forcing things in the fourth quarter a bit, but it was Vino that showed up when the game was on the line as Bryant hit a three-pointer and a beautiful mid-range jumper late in the final period to give the Lakers the lead that ultimately won the game.

It’s fantastic to see vintage Kobe make an appearance, but the most impressive part of the win for the Lakers is the fact that they played like an actual team. The ball was moving, players were making plays off of one another, and there wasn’t the general lack of effort that has plagued the Lakers in many of their losses. Though it never seemed possible after the loss to Philly, there’s hope in Los Angeles after what happened in D.C.

Three Stars

Julius Randle went into full beast mode on Wednesday night as the forward was aggressive in every facet of the game. He finished the game with 15 points, 19 rebound (seven offensive), and two steals.

Lou Williams didn’t have an overwhelming statistical night aside from his seven steals, but he was huge for the Lakers on both ends of the floor, playing with a ton of effort and smarts that haven’t been there consistently all season.

Kobe Bryant took 24 shots, but his shot-selection wasn’t quite as problematic and he knocked down the two biggest attempts late in the fourth. He finished the night with a team-high 31 points to go with three assits.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/672228392888958976

Odds

The Wizards were 10-point favorites, which they obviously failed to cover with the Lakers win. The two teams combined to hit the over on the 204-point O/U line.

Next: Russell Needs to Channel Inner Magic Johnson

Next Game

The Lakers will play the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday.

Washington will stay at home to take on the Suns on Friday.