Sadly for Los Angeles Lakers fans, Friday was not the night of Austin Reaves' return to the lineup, as the star guard entered the day listed as questionable, but was eventually ruled out for their contest against the Washington Wizards. Regardless, it could set up a return on Sunday against the New York Knicks.

Therefore, Friday's focus remained on bouncing back after their tough loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday by 30 points, with Luka Doncic narrowly avoiding what could have been a season-ending injury. Instead, Doncic suited up on Friday and had one of his best performances as a Laker.

On Friday, the Lakers were on the opposite end of a blowout, defeating the Wizards 142-111, with LA getting off to a hot start and not looking back. The Lakers got strong performances from both LeBron James (20 points and six assists) and Deandre Ayton (28 points and 13 rebounds), but it was Doncic who was the star of the night.

Doncic finished the game with 37 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and three steals. Even though triple-doubles are impressive, it's not uncommon for Doncic. However, the way he did it was by becoming the second first-half 25-point triple-double in the play-by-play era.

In addition, Doncic did most of his damage in the first quarter, putting up 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 11 minutes of action in the quarter. In doing so, he became the first player in the play-by-play era to put up those stats or better in a singular quarter.

"Just playing basketball. I'll just play my game, whatever the defense gives me. Just trying to get back into the rhythm," Doncic said after the game when asked about his strong play.

As mentioned, it's not a surprise to see the way Doncic is playing, given that fans have seen him put up these types of performances since he entered the NBA. Now, at 26 years old and in his eighth year in the NBA, it seems as though the game is becoming easier for him, allowing him to put up absurd stats.

While the return of Reaves to the lineup should cut into Doncic's production slightly, the Lakers should have no reason to take the ball out of his hands as long as he keeps playing the way that he is.

Looking ahead, the Lakers head to the final leg of their eight-game road trip in New York City, facing the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets to end things out.