The red-hotLos Angeles Lakersbarely skipped a beat without the presence of Luka Doncic. LeBron James made sure of it.
With Doncic out of the lineup Monday to servehis one-game suspensionafterreceiving his 16th technical foulof the season against theBrooklyn Netson March 27, James powered the Lakers to a120-101win over theWashington Wizardsbehind his 21-point triple-double at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, March 30.
James had 12 assists and 10 rebounds to go along with his 20-ball, and LA clicked offensively with six players scoring in double figures. Austin Reaves, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes each put up 19 points — with Reaves adding nine assists — while Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton scored 14 and 12, respectively as the Lakers cruised to their third straight victory and their 15th in their last 17 games.
It was also the 1,228th win of James' career, including playoffs, tying yet another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record for most all-time.
Advertisement
"He's very praiseworthy," head coach JJ Redick told reporters postgame. "I don't know what else to say about him. At this point. I've tried to give every version of the same soliloquy on his longevity."
The one thing the Lakers didn't do on Monday was clinch a playoff spot or the Pacific Division, which they entered the day with an opportunity to do. LA took care of their end with a win over Washington, but they also needed a loss by thePhoenix Suns, who pulled away from theMemphis Grizzliesin fourth quarter for a131-105win.
The Lakers host theCleveland CavaliersonTuesday, March 31, when they'll have a shot to win 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James' triple-double leads Lakers to win without Luka Doncic