Los Angeles Lakers Play The Perfect Game Against Washington Wizards
The Los Angeles Lakers played the perfect game in the eyes of the front office against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers season has been over from a playoffs standpoint for a while. But, there is still a lot to be played for in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are in a clear rebuild. Seeing what their younger players have has been a goal throughout the season. It became painstakingly clear at the NBA trade deadline and the subsequent weeks.
The Lakers traded away arguably their best player from this season in Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets. They also traded Marcelo Huertas to the Rockets, receiving Corey Brewer, Tyler Ennis, and a 2017 first-round pick in return. in two separate trades.
Veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov had their seasons ended despite being healthy enough to play.
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What is the end game for the Lakers? Their hope is a lot of losses. The Lakers need to finish in the top three of the 2017 NBA Draft or else their pick will be sent to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Los Angeles Lakers
If that pick is sent to the 76ers, the Lakers will also have to relay their 2019 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic. That is not something that a rebuilding team such as the Lakers can afford.
While head coach Luke Walton said that he hopes the team can establish some momentum at the end of the season to take into next season, the mission is clear; lose as many games as possible. The Lakers were able to accomplish both against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
Coming into the evening the Wizards had a lot more to play for than the Lakers. They are within striking distance of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They also had the Southeast Division title in their crosshairs.
But you would not have known that from the first three quarters of the game.
A young Lakers team gave the Wizards all they could handle the first three quarters. Young may even be an understatement. Brewer was the only player to take the court for the Lakers on Tuesday that has more than two seasons of NBA experience.
The Lakers looked like a team of young guys that went out there with nothing to lose.
Los Angeles led Washington by 13 going into the fourth quarter. They made 15-of-16 shots in the third quarter to outscore the Wizards 37-27.
They looked on their way to an improbable victory; one that some fans would probably be upset with. You can’t blame the players for going out there and trying; it was clear from the players used that the organization was doing their best to lose the game.
Then, the fourth quarter started. What looked like an improbable victory turned into a mini blowout. The Wizards would hammer the Lakers in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 37-13 en route to an 119-108 victory.
The Lakers’ shooting stretch was impressive in the third quarter; the Wizards may have outdone them by outscoring Los Angeles 47-22 in a 14-minute span.
Wiz have outscored the Lakers 47-22 in the last 14 minutes
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) March 29, 2017
That is probably what many people expected to happen from the opening tip. But playing in front of their home fans, the young Lakers were not going to just lay down; they played a strong game right to the final buzzer.
Everyone comes away from the game happy. The front office is pleased that the team moves closer to obtaining a top-three pick. But they also can be encouraged by some performances.
The backcourt duo of Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell continues to show promise. Both are very talented; the next step is just finding consistency with the two. Against a dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, Clarkson and Russell held their own.
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Both had strong games. Clarkson scored 22 points, going 10-of-19 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep. He added four rebounds and two assists in the game.
Russell provided a scoring punch as well, putting up 28 points going 10-of-21 from the field and 4-of-12 from deep. He also stuffed the stat sheet, adding six rebounds, nine assists and one block.
Off the bench, Larry Nance Jr. had 11 rebounds, while David Nwaba scored eight points with eight rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block as he continues to impress since his call-up from the NBA Developmental League.
But, that was not enough to overcome the 34 points and 14 assists handed out by Wall. The Lakers are hoping they can hit gold with a player like Wall with their selection in the 2017 NBA Draft.
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The loss helps move them closer to keep their pick, but it also showed whoever is selected that they will not be joining a barren roster; there is some talent on this Lakers squad that Walton will be tasked with bringing together in the next few seasons.