Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) defends as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) recovers the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)
WASHINGTON — LeBron James had 24 points and 11 assists before resting for the final quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 134-96 rout of the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
While James sat out, his son Bronny played the whole fourth quarter and scored a career-high five points — a development that delighted the crowd, even on the road.
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It was the 16th consecutive loss for Washington, tying a franchise record. It’s the second time this season the Wizards have dropped that many in a row.
READ: NBA: Lakers’ Anthony Davis to be re-evaluated in about a week
That’s range, Bron ✔️ pic.twitter.com/PibFjXzrOG
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2025
This one was never close after the first few minutes, even though the Lakers were missing Anthony Davis because of an abdominal muscle strain. Washington was without rookie Alex Sarr, who had a sprained left ankle.
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Los Angeles has won five of six, rebounding from a 14-point loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
This was the Lakers’ most lopsided victory this season, surpassing their 111-88 win over the Wizards just over a week ago.
With the Lakers up by 39 and 1:25 remaining, Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht was called for two technical fouls — apparently for arguing — and ejected.
Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 19 points.
READ: NBA: Anthony Davis’ monster night leads Lakers past Hornets
Takeaways
Lakers: LeBron James was questionable because of left foot issues, so Los Angeles was probably happy to give him the final quarter off with a big lead.
Wizards: Washington trailed 78-45 at halftime, the most points the Wizards have allowed in the first half all season.
Key moment
The crowd was chanting for Bronny James well before he finally went in. He shot 1 of 6 from the field, but he finally made it into the scoring column with a driving layup while being fouled by Tristan Vukcevic with 2:48 play. James converted the free throw for a three-point play.
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Key stat
The Wizards became the fifth team to lose at least 16 straight games on multiple occasions in a season, according to Sportradar.
Up next
The Lakers have two games left on their road trip. They play at New York on Saturday. Washington is at Minnesota on Saturday night.
