The Los Angeles Lakers torched the Washington Wizards on Friday, as the home team came away with a lopsided 125-103 victory a day after Thanksgiving. However, blowouts have not exactly been the norm for the surging Lakers, which is something head coach Frank Vogel addressed following the game.
According to the 46-year-old coach, being entrenched in several close games early in the season has not given him the luxury of bringing down the minutes of his two superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“We haven’t had the freedom to give those guys less minutes because we’ve been in so many close games,” Vogel explained, via Lakers reporter Lauren A. Jones. “Every win matters this time of year. The best part of tonight’s game was how we started the 3rd quarter.”
Right now, LeBron is averaging 34.8 minutes per contest, while Davis has been logging 34.5 minutes while also playing through a lingering shoulder issue. Both studs have been outstanding for their squad thus far, but with LeBron now at 35, and Davis' injury history, this type of workload might not be sustainable in the long run. Obviously, this is a concern Vogel and his coaching staff have been keeping a keen eye on.
This was not the case on Friday, though, as James (23 points, four 3-pointers, 11 assists) checked out after just 25 minutes, while Davis (26 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks) played only 27 minutes, as the Lakers cruised to an easy victory against a struggling Wizards side.
That's now 10 straight wins for L.A., who have lost just one game in the entire month of November, as they continue to lead the league with a stellar 17-2 record thus far.
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