LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2022. /CFP
The Washington Wizards beat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-119 at Capital One Arena on Saturday, getting revenge for the loss on the road on March 11.
LeBron James scored 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, surpassing Karl Malone to rank second on the NBA all-time points leaders table. James is now 1,440 points away from the first Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Considering that he has averaged 29.7 points this season, he is likely to catch up with the "Sky Hook" next season if he maintains a similar form.
"Just to be part of this league the many years I've been a part of it, and being linked to some of the greatest who've ever played this game and guys I've ever watched or studied or read about or aspired to be like. ... I'm just always lost for words for it," James said. "It's an honor for myself, for my hometown, for my family and friends to be able to live these moments throughout this journey. And that's exactly who I do it for."
Kristaps Porzingis (C) of the Washington Wizards shoots in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2022. /CFP
Saturday night could have been so much happier if the Lakers hadn't wasted a 16-point lead and lost to the Wizards. The purple and gold led 99-93 before the last quarter began. The Wizards cut their deficit to two points (106-104) at 8:30 when the Lakers called a timeout. That's when Lakers head coach Frank Vogel made the game-changing substitutions.
The Wizards replaced Daniel Gafford with Kristaps Porzingis while the Lakers took out Wenyen Gabriel and sent Stanley Johnson to the floor. At this time, the Wizards average height was 2.02 meters with the tallest 2.21-meter Porzingis. On the Lakers side, the squad had an average height of 1.92 meters and the tallest guy was 2.03-meter James.
That's partly why Porzingis shot 6 for 7 to get 16 points in the following of the game. It didn't matter if he shot under the rim, around the free throw line or from downtown because the defender could barely face guard him, not to mention deflect his shooting.
Kristaps Porzingis (#6) of the Washington Wizards blocks a shot by Stanley Johnson (#14) of the Los Angeles Lakers in the game at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2022. /CFP
"I thought Talen and Melo coming back from being out a game were a little bit out of sync, out of rhythm tonight on both sides of the ball. We just had some possessions that didn’t go our way during that stretch but those definitely proved pivotal," Vogel said.
Carmelo Anthony shot 5 for 10 in field goals (FGs), including draining three triples to contribute 13 points off the bench. So he was definitely in the rhythm. Talen Horton-Tucker missed all five FG shots of him, but Vogel still gave him over 16 minutes in the game. Meanwhile, the team's only full-sized center Dwight Howard spent the whole night on the bench, watching Porzingis tear his team apart.
Despite Saturday's loss, Vogel expressed his confidence in the team for the play-in tournament once they have Anthony Davis back. He should really keep an eye on the rankings table in the Western Conference. The Lakers (30-41) are only 0.5 games above 10th New Orleans Pelicans (29-41), and three games over 11th San Antonio Spurs (27-44) and 12th Portland Trail Blazers (26-43).
LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets reacts after making a 3-pointer in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., March 19, 202. /CFP
Hornets blow Mavericks with 3-pointer storm
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks 129-108 at Spectrum Center on Saturday to secure their fourth straight win and sixth win in the past eight games.
The Hornets drained 20 3-pointers at home. Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball combined 17 for 29 behind the arc. Kelly Oubre Jr., Montrezl Harrell and Isaiah Thomas didn't share their touch from outside, but they all reached double-digit points off the bench.
By contrast, the Mavericks had no one but Luka Doncic to rely on offensively. Though he shot 13-20 in FGs and made eight triples to score 37 points, the best help Doncic could get were 10 points by Jalen Brunson and Marquese Chriss plus 12 points by Frank Ntilikina.
"We are playing well, we are playing hard and we are playing together and that's all I can ask for," Hornets head coach James Borrego said. "... Right now we have to sustain it and keep our foot on the gas."
Luka Doncic (#77) of the Dallas Mavericks penetrates in the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., March 19, 202. /CFP
The Hornets are currently ninth in in the Eastern Conference with a 36-35 record. They are 0.5 games above the 10th Atlanta Hawks and one game behind the eighth Brooklyn Nets. Since there are only 11 games to go, the Hornets shouldn't be too concerned for the 11th Washington Wizards which are 5.5 games away. However, the chance of them surpassing the Nets is not zero. The difference between ranking eighth and ninth is worth fighting for because the eighth team only needs one win to reach the playoffs and has the second chance if they lose the first game.
The Mavericks remain fifth in the West with a 43-28 record after Saturday's loss. Ranking matters a lot to them as well. If they manage to surpass the Utah Jazz which are 1.5 games away, the Mavericks will have home advantage in the first round of the postseason. If they are caught up with by the Nuggets, which are one game away, the Mavericks are likely to face the Golden State Warriors in the first round. Furthermore, the seventh Minnesota Timberwolves are only 1.5 games behind the Mavericks. If they fall to seventh, the Mavericks will have to play against the Los Angeles Clippers before thinking about the playoffs.
Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):
Milwaukee Bucks 119-138 Minnesota Timberwolves
Detroit Pistons 109-113 Cleveland Cavaliers