The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 134-96 victory over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, continuing their Grammy road trip. They dominated the game early, largely thanks to LeBron James’ inspired performance. After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised James for his strong start and leadership. “He was awesome. He was aggressive, he talked, his willingness to trust his teammates and create for others and himself was awesome,” Redick said. “Don’t overlook the fact that, by the way, he’s 40 years old in year 22 with every accolade under the sun, and he comes out on a Thursday night in a non-nationally televised game against a team that’s really struggling, and he’s the tone-setter.”
LeBron finished the game with 24 points, three rebounds, and 11 assists in just 27 minutes, shooting 9-of-19 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. He sat out the rest of the game after the third quarter. James, who has been dealing with a foot injury throughout the season, entered the game as questionable. The Lakers were also without Anthony Davis, who left the road trip early due to an abdominal injury.
This season marks LeBron’s 22nd year in the NBA, and at 40 years old, he remains a dominant force. Over the summer, he was a key contributor to Team USA’s gold medal victory and was named the tournamentโs Most Valuable Player. Although he missed three games earlier this season due to his foot injury, his performance since returning shows no signs of decline. Heading into the Wizards game, he had played 42 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 9.0 assists, with a shooting efficiency of 51.3% from the field, 38.1% from three, and 76.7% from the free-throw line.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 27-18, maintaining a 3-1 record on the current road trip. They are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, just one game behind the Denver Nuggets for the fourth spot.
