Coming in with a four game win streak, the Wizards showed why they are on the bottom of the eastern conference. With nine minutes left, they trailed by 17 against the defending champion LA Lakers.
All of that changed as Westbrook led a comeback in the fourth quarter. He didn’t do it with the help of Bertans, who was ice cold. Instead, Deni Avdija stepped in to score 8 points in the quarter. Washington was holding a one point lead during the last minute, and the Lakers was playing the fouling game. Unfortunately, they passed to Westbrook, who then missed one of the two free throws.
LeBron James scored on a drive to the basket in the next possession, but missed the free throw to put the Lakers up by one with 9.8 seconds left. Beal missed a step back three as time expired and the game went to overtime.
Wizards’ superstar duo went to work and scored all 12 points in overtime. LeBron James and Kuzma both missed a 3 point attempt to tie the game and the Wizards extend their winning streak to five, the second longest in the league.
This is Westbrook’s best game of the season with 32pts, 14reb, and 9 ast. Beal was his usual self and finished with 33pts, 7reb, and 6 ast. Like Westbrook, LeBron James finished just short of a triple-double, with 31pts, 9reb, and 13 ast. Despite the stats, it’s obvious that LeBron can’t wait to have Dennis Schröder and Anthony Davis back.
