The Lakers claimed that mental toughness was the main obstacle. Six games in nine days, including matches against some of the league’s bottom clubs, culminated in a Wednesday night matchup against the Wizards.

Respectfully, they are teams that we ought to defeat, D’Angelo Russell declared the previous evening.
Furthermore, the Wizards were another victory the Lakers were expected to have, despite the fact that they had just defeated the Milwaukee Bucks.

That did not imply that it would be simple.

The Lakers needed to find a last piece of reserve fuel to conclude their journey, which had taken them from Milwaukee to Memphis to Indiana to Brooklyn and Toronto to Washington, D.C.

After their advantage of 17 points was cut to just two points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James made sure the offense wouldn’t be caught off guard any longer.

The Wizards zone was his target. exploded for a two-handed slam and set off a run that resulted in a 125-120 victory and a 5-1 trip for the Lakers during the late season.

Following an opportunity for Washington to take its first lead since the first quarter, the Wizards missed two three-pointers on the same possession, and the Lakers answered by scoring 12 straight points before the slam.

After being knocked down by a hard elbow in the first quarter, Anthony Davis returned to the game and finished with 35 points and 18 rebounds.

Rui Hachimura continued his impressive play from the previous two months with 19 points and seven rebounds, while James concluded with 25 points.

In just two minutes, the Lakers had a 14-point lead despite coach Darvin Ham’s attempts to get James and his starting lineup some rest.

But with 17.4 seconds remaining, the Wizards forced the regulars back into the game with eight consecutive points, and they managed to earn one more stop.

The trip was a triumph even before Wednesday.

Guard Gabe Vincent returned from his knee surgery recuperation, providing the Lakers’ backcourt with the necessary physicality in time for a postseason run.

In addition, Jarred Vanderbilt increased the intensity of his pregame workout on Wednesday, which included some running, in preparation for a reevaluation early the following week, which may determine when or if he can play again after suffering a foot injury.

He hasn’t played since February 1st and would provide the Lakers with the perimeter defensive presence they require.

The Lakers have been working hard over the previous month to get out of the single-elimination 9/10 seed play-in game, so they need the assistance. Although the distance has shrunk thus far, the Lakers remain in ninth place.

Before the game, Ham remarked, “The West is so deep, we hit this stride, we’re playing well and everyone else is too.” “It seems like nobody is assisting anyone.”