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Welcome fellow NBA junkies to some Saturday night action between the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Washington Wizards in the nation's capital. Get the weekend kicked off on the right foot by checking out our NBA odds series which includes a Lakers-Wizards prediction and pick.
How about that Lakers faithful? Everyone is well aware of LA's season struggles, as the light at the end of the tunnel has seemed far and distant. However, the Lakers were able to travel out of the country to the city of Toronto and steal a gigantic road win in their pursuit of locking up a play-in tournament birth with only 12 games left on the calendar. Los Angeles sit at 30-40 on the season and are 10-23 out on the road.
Heading out east, the Washington Wizards are slowly and surely losing ground in the playoff race, and the rest of the NBA can smell the blood in the water. Losers of six straight, the Wizards are now facing an uphill climb, as they trail the Charlotte Hornets by 5.5 games for the tenth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. At the moment, Washington is under the .500 mark at home with a 17-18 record.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Lakers-Wizards NBA odds:
NBA odds: Lakers-Wizards Odds
Los Angeles Lakers: +3 (-106)
Washington Wizards: -3 (-114)
Over: 227.5 (-110)
Under: 227.5 (-110)
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Why The Lakers Could Cover the Spread
37-year old Lebron James has figured out a way to cheat father time out of his usual thievery of aging stars, as King James is playing some of the best basketball of his entire career. No, the year is not 2011, nor is it even 2007 when LeBron carried his Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA Finals appearance only to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs. This is 2022, where LeBron is in his 18th season of service, making his recent play stand out that much more as a player with the amount of wear and tear on his body.
With James ultimately being the only bright spot on a miserable Lakers squad, no one has ever questioned his will to find ways to win games. LeBron is capable of dropping points at ease and covering any spread his group faces, as was the case on March 11th against the same sinking Wizards team. In that duel, LeBron provided 50 points on 18/25 shooting while also connecting on 6/9 shots from three-point land.
Only a week later, this Saturday night showdown will definitely have its fair share of injuries on both sides, as the Lakers will be without the services of Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, and of course Anthony Davis. Typically, the more banged up a team, the more production it needs from other role players who usually see an increase in minutes played. In their monumentally important victory over the Raptors last night, they received plenty of help in the form of guards Avery Bradley and Austin Reaves, who combined for 24 points off the bench. In order for a repeat of last night's success, Russell Westbrook will have to follow up his outstanding 22-point triple-double with another efficient outing, something that has come rare and few from the former MVP. Los Angeles has been a woeful 28-41 ATS this season.
Why The Wizards Could Cover the Spread
With Bradley Beal out for the remainder of the season, the Wizards are starting to begin the countdown to the off-season. With the Wizards quickly approaching elimination, all that can be done at this point is to stay healthy and prove your worth moving forward, especially for the young pieces trying to make a case to be a part of the organization's long-term plan. Even with the season in doubt and the recent struggles, the Wizards have defeated the Lakers six of their last seven games in Washington D.C. The cupboard isn't completely bare as well, as forward Kristaps Porzingis is can still be a tremendous factor for a team at age 26, as he is averaging 19.5 PPG in his six games back from a knee injury.
Another name that should continue his solid play is former Laker Kyle Kuzma, who has found a sense of resurgence in his game out on the east coast. Kuzma had a team-leading 23 points on 9/18 shooting in the Wizards-Lakers contest from a week ago, as the Utah Utes product should play with a vengeance once again against his former team, as Kuzma was often the scapegoat when Los Angeles would play poorly. It is hard to find the silver lining with this Wizards bunch, but keep in mind they are playing at home versus a Lakers team
Final Lakers-Wizards Prediction & Pick
Both teams are coming off back-to-backs, and fatigue will be a factor in the late stages of this inter-conference clash. At the end of the day, the pressure is firmly on LA's shoulders, as the urgency to win is at an all-time high. The Lakers lack much-needed depth on their roster, but LeBron James will make sure that they don't falter on the road against a Wizards team they match up well with. Los Angeles is the wise pick here and should win this one outright.
Final Lakers-Wizards Prediction & Pick: Lakers +3 (-106)
