The red-hot Los Angeles Lakers barely skipped a beat without the presence of Luka Doncic. LeBron James made sure of it.
With Doncic out of the lineup Monday to serve his one-game suspension after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season against the Brooklyn Nets on March 27, James powered the Lakers to a 120-101 win over the Washington Wizards behind 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.
"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."
