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Luka Doncic gets a triple-double by halftime as Lakers trounce Wizards

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Lakers star LeBron James, right, passes the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington defends during the first half on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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WASHINGTON — Looking for a bounce-back win after their most lopsided loss of the season, Luka Doncic and the Lakers used a soft spot on the schedule to get back on track.

Doncic had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 37 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds as the Lakers crushed the Washington Wizards, 142-111, on Friday night.

Doncic showed no ill effects from the ankle injury he sustained when falling off Cleveland’s elevated court on Wednesday, compiling 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds through the first two quarters. His 10th rebound came in the waning seconds of the second.

“The way Luka started the game was the perfect type of aggression, which was I’m gonna hunt and try to create advantages and he was very decisive with that,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who had requested more of a “competitive edge” from his players. “He just came out again with the right mentality, the right mindset. … And obviously to get the defensive rebounds and get a triple-double is fantastic.”

Doncic became the first Laker in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to record a triple-double in a half, a feat he also achieved with the Dallas Mavericks. Listed as questionable before the game, he shot 13 for 21 from the field and 6 for 13 from 3-point range on a night when the Lakers (29-18) shot 61% from the field.

The Slovenian star dazzled the crowd with an array of no-look passes, lobs and 3-pointers.

“It’s not easy, for sure,” Doncic said. “It might look easy, but it’s not easy. But it just feels good to have that going. … It’s just fun to be like that in that position.”

LeBron James had 20 points and six assists for the Lakers, looking spry at age 41 when he threw down an alley-oop in the first half with only his left hand. And he was not finished dunking.

Fans were chanting for James’ son, Bronny, to come in the game before the midpoint of the third quarter. That finally happened with 5:29 left in the fourth, and even the younger James broke free for a one-handed dunk on a breakaway.

Deandre Ayton had 28 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists. He shot 12 for 14 from the field as the Lakers – who lost to the Cavaliers by 30 points on Wednesday – posted their second-highest point total of the season and won for the fifth time in seven games, improving to 4-2 on their eight-game Grammy road trip.

“Throughout that half, really throughout the game, we just did a great job of making the extra pass,” Redick said. “Thirty-eight assists, 23 in the first half. … We played 45 minutes of really, really good basketball, really unselfish team basketball.”

The Lakers quickly took control of the game, going on a 9-0 run midway through the first quarter for a 20-11 lead. A 20-9 run in the second quarter extinguished any hope of a Wizards rally, as the Lakers pushed their 17-point advantage to 28. They led 77-48 at halftime and by as much as 38 points during the third quarter.

Malaki Branham scored 17 points off the bench for the Wizards (12-35), who were trying for their first three-game winning streak of the season but were on the second night of a back-to-back. Alex Sarr added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington both chipped in 15 points and Will Riley had 13.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was in the crowd, and injured Wizards star Trae Young wore Ovechkin’s jersey on the bench.

REAVES NEARS RETURN

Austin Reaves (left calf strain) was upgraded to questionable for the game, but the guard did not play. He has missed 18 straight games since suffering the injury on Christmas against the Houston Rockets.

Reaves has been working out as he progresses toward a return. The Lakers play again Sunday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

“He continues to progress. He hasn’t had any setbacks,” Redick said before Friday’s game. “Yesterday was five weeks from the injury. He’s right on schedule, if not a little bit ahead of schedule. So it’s just him being fully confident in his body. And he continues to get great work on the court.”

UP NEXT

The Lakers play at the New York Knicks on Sunday at 4 p.m. PT.