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Lakers Unable to Hold Off Wall, Wizards

In the short time between the third and fourth quarters, the Lakers’ offense dropped from unfathomably hot to absolutely frigid.

Los Angeles went volcanic in the third quarter, hitting 15 straight shots to take a 13-point lead into the final period. But then Washington took advantage of fourth-quarter mistakes to seize a 119-108 victory.

"We were playing unselfish," head coach Luke Walton said. "It was beautiful and a lot of fun to watch. Then unfortunately the fourth quarter started with us missing some open looks that we had been hitting. Then we had a couple turnovers. (Washington) picked the pressure up ... and they cut into that lead without really even having to get hot."

At first it appeared that the Wizards (46-28) were going to run away with this one, as they quickly went up by a dozen in the first quarter.

But D’Angelo Russell shot the Lakers (21-53) back into it, as the purple and gold scored the frame’s final eight points to tie at 27.

The Lakers continued their momentum, taking a three-point lead into halftime and returned for one of the most explosive quarters in franchise history.

L.A. missed its first shot of the third but then hit all 15 that followed. Jordan Clarkson was particularly dominant in this frame, as he scored 14 points on a 6-of-6 clip to contribute the bulk of his 22-point night.

"Obviously it was beautiful," Walton said. "I was just telling the guys (that). The way the ball was moving — not even calling a lot of plays. there. They were just reading off each other. Guys that had the ball were ready to make quick passes when guys were flashing."

But the Wizards — who had gone 38 years since last winning a division title before clinching with this win — weren’t about to wait another day.

As the Lakers suddenly couldn’t score, Washington went to work rolling off the first 11 points of the first to claw within four.

After a couple of ties, the Lakers took their last lead at 104-103 with just under four minutes left.

But John Wall just couldn’t be stopped, as he led the Wizards on a 16-4, game-ending run.

Wall — who piled up 34 points, 14 assists and four steals — took full advantage of a Lakers squad that shot just 5-of-21 in the fourth quarter.

Even D’Angelo Russell, who racked up 28 points and nine assists on a night when Walton said he played "brilliant," couldn’t find his rhythm, going just 2-of-8 in the last frame.

"Honestly, I feel like we got the same shots," Russell said. "We just stopped making them. Missed shots and they scored on them. ... They didn't have to run an offense. They scored off of our missed shots, turnovers and they got transition baskets."

Notes
The Wizards’ division-title drought was the longest in major American pro sports. … Washington outscored the Lakers in the fourth quarter, 37-13. … Larry Nance Jr. led the Lakers with 11 rebounds. … Otto Porter Jr. and Bradley Beal each had 16 points for the Wizards. … A sold-out crowd of 18,997 packed Staples Center.