In his fourth game back, since missing 30 straight, Anthony Davis seemed to have found his rhythm late in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 116-107 loss to the Wizards in D.C.
He scored 14 (5-8 FGs) of his team-high 26 points and sparked AD-like defence-to-offence plays over a seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
Brow’s stealin’ & Ben’s oopin’
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 29, 2021
(📺: @SpectrumSN, ESPN) pic.twitter.com/8zeastFgCx
Playing at center, he was responsible for 19 of the team's 30 points in the final period, helping himself and the team overcome their offensive 'funk' from the middle two quarters.
“We obviously had some droughts that put us in a deficit and probably cost us the game," Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said postgame.
Over the middle two quarters, the Lakers were outscored 59-42. In the process, after leading for most of the first 1.5 quarters, they gave up control of the game and never challenged to wrestle it back.
RUI HACHIMURA GOT AD 😱 pic.twitter.com/69eWnbGKWI
— ESPN (@espn) April 29, 2021
Davis was one of six players in double figures as Ben McLemore scored 16 in 22 minutes off the bench as the duo of Dennis Schroder and Kyle Kuzma (career-high eight) combined for 16 of the team's 31 assists.
However, it wasn't enough as the Wizards picked up their 10th victory in the last 12 games and were led by Bradley Beal's 27 points. Rusell Westbrook notched up his 176th career triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists and is now needs six from the remaining 10 games to surpass Oscar Robertson's NBA record tally.
This loss is now the Lakers fourth in their last five games, the third on this four-game road trip and the 12th in the 20 consecutive games that LeBron James has missed.
"We just got to look forward. ... We've got to put this trip behind us," Vogel said postgame.
With only 10 games remaining, seven of which are at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers, who are yet to see some of their stars and role players play together since Valentine's Day, would hope to carry some momentum and roster continuity heading into the playoffs.
That said, until prior to this game, there was no update on James' return timetable with his status remaining 'out indefinitely', Vogel clarified.
Frank Vogel on LeBron James: "When he's ready to play he'll play." Said he doesn't have anything new about James' status.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 28, 2021
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