Hit the top eight! The Lakers five tigers exploded with 113 points, thick eyebrows dominated the interior, and another fierce will want to make a comeback
On April 4, Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Wizards 125-120 away to win three in a row, with five wins and one loss in six consecutive road trips, and won eight of the last nine games. The Lakers continue to push for the top eight in the West. The Lakers Five broke out again in this battle, and they combined to score 113 points, while the Lakers bench dragged their feet, scoring a total of 12 points. At the last moment of the game, due to the crotch pull of the substitute, James and Brother Thick Eyebrows, who had clocked out of work, had to return to the court to work overtime.
Bushy Eyebrows dominated the interior, contributing 35 points, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 3 blocks, shooting 10-of-17 and making 15 free throws. He has scored 61 double-doubles, a career high in a single season, and the first Lakers player to perform like this since O'Neal in 2000-01!
Brother Thick Mei scored 11 free throws in the first quarter of this game, and hit all of them, setting a record for free throws in a single quarter in the league this season. He scored 19 points in the first quarter to lead the Lakers to a 39-29 run that set the tone for the game. The Lakers had a 49-39 rebounding advantage in this game.
James fought back-to-back games, finishing with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. Lao Zhan fought for 36 minutes, but fortunately the Lakers ended their road trip, and the next game will be played on April 7, and James has two days off.
Hachimura continued his stable performance since he started the game, scoring 19 points and 7 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting, with a plus/minus of +21. Hachimura's offense during this period was very efficient, and he fit well with the starting lineup, showing a value of $51 million over three years.
If coach Ham had put Hachimura in the starting lineup earlier, perhaps the Lakers' record would have been much better than it is now. Ham used Hachimura and Van der Biao at the beginning of the season to play the starting power forward, which became an important reason for the Lakers' poor record at the beginning of the season.
Russell scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in this game, and as the Lakers' third firepower point, Russell's offensive performance in 2024 is very stable. Reaves had 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Lakers' starting five Tigers scored 113 points, while the Lakers bench was seriously dragged down, scoring a total of 12 points. Prince had five points and seven rebounds, Hayes had three points and two assists, Dinwiddie had four points, two rebounds and one assist, and Vincent and Christie didn't score.
There is also good news for the Lakers that Vanderbilt will be evaluated next week for an injury recovery assessment and a chance to return before the end of the regular season. Vanderbilt is an important rotation player for the Lakers, and if he returns to his best, he will improve the Lakers' defensive capabilities.