Last week, the Wizards gave the Lakers all they could handle, coming back from an early double-digit deficit to lose in the final minutes. Tuesday night was the complete opposite.
Despite holding an early lead after the first quarter, the Wizards couldn't hold onto it for very long as the Lakers jumped on them early in the second quarter and never looked back in a 103-89 victory.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 24 points in just 24 minutes, with 16 points coming in the third quarter. Pau Gasol had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Lamar Odom had 18 points and 10 rebounds. In his season debut, Andrew Bynum scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in limited action.
Nick Young led the Wizards in points for the second straight game against the Lakers with 21, but scored only four after halftime. Gilbert Arenas had 11 points and 10 assists and JaVale McGee had 12 points and nine rebounds,
The Wizards led 24-22 after the first quarter, but a 19-4 run by the Lakers to start the second quarter doomed them. A huge discrepancy in free throw shooting and poor three point shooting didn't help much either. The Wizards shot 12-for-16 from the line, but Los Angeles shot 29-for-40. One week after Young hit a career-high six threes, the Wizards only managed to make three as a team despite 19 attempts.
With John Wall and Andray Blatche already sitting out with injuries, Yi Jianlian left the game in the first quarter with a sprained right knee after colliding with Ron Artest. It was the same knee that cost Yi nine games earlier this season.
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