Luka Doncic put on a historic first-half show and never slowed down, carrying the Los Angeles Lakers to a 142-111 blowout of the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Doncic completed a triple-double before halftime and finished with 37 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. He piled up 26 points, 11 assists and 10 boards in the opening two quarters, securing his 10th rebound in the final moments before the break. According to Sportradar, it marked the first first-half triple-double in the NBA since Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson accomplished the feat on Dec. 5.
LeBron James added 20 points for Los Angeles and provided plenty of highlights of his own, including a one-handed alley-oop dunk that drew roars from the crowd. James, now 41, wasn’t done there, and the arena buzz only grew louder when chants for his son, Bronny, began midway through the third quarter. Bronny James eventually checked in late in the fourth and punctuated the moment with a breakaway, one-handed slam.
Deandre Ayton dominated inside with 28 points and 13 rebounds, going 12 of 14 from the floor as the Lakers shot 61% overall. Los Angeles led 77-48 at halftime and stretched the margin to as many as 38 points in the third quarter.
Malaki Branham scored 17 points for Washington, which was playing on the second night of a back-to-back and saw its hopes of a first three-game winning streak evaporate early. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin watched from the stands, while injured Wizards guard Trae Young sported an Ovechkin jersey on the bench.
Up next:
The Lakers visit New York on Sunday night, while the Wizards return home to host Sacramento.
