Happy Leap Day! The Washington Wizards take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Wizards-Lakers prediction and pick.
The Wizards are coming off a loss to the Golden State Warriors 123-112 on their home court. Despite Steph Curry not having a great game, the Warriors were able to pull away in the second half and avoided a late comeback attempt from the Wizards. Washington, led by Kyle Kuzma, scored 37 points in the 4th but it wasn't enough. Kuzma led with 27 points. The Wizards have now lost 12 straight games and are tied with the Detroit Pistons for the worst record in the NBA.
The Lakers stormed back from down 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers last night. Without Paul George, the Clippers controlled a majority of that contest. LeBron James, who is close to 40,000 career points, finished with 34 points and scored 19 of them in the 4th quarter. If you tuned in for that game, then you saw a vintage LeBron moment where he seemed unstoppable. The Lakers held the Clippers to just 16 points in the 4th. They now take on a Wizards team who seems allergic to winning on a second of. aback-to-back.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Wizards-Lakers Odds
Washington Wizards: +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +320
Los Angeles Lakers: -9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -405
Over: 244 (-110)
Under: 244 (-110)
How to Watch Wizards vs. Lakers
Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT
TV: Spectrum Sports Los Angeles
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Wizards Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Wizards don't have much of a chance to win this game on the road, however, covering a 9.5-spread us doable. Oddly enough, the Wizards are 6-24 on the road which means they have just three wins on their home court this season. During their losing streak, the Wizards have allowed around 126.5 points per game compared to scoring at around 112.3 per game.
Washington has some talent on the offensive end, but their defensive unit is among the worst in the NBA. They allow the most points in the NBA at 124.2 per game and opposing teams are averaging 50% shooting against them. At this point in the season, that wont change. If they want to cover this spread on the road then they will need to have one of their best offensive outings of the season to stay in it. Washington is 27-30-1 ATS on the season.
Jordan Poole has been a huge disappointment for the Wizards this season. Many figured he would elevate his offensive game with a change of scenery, especially one that would allow him to have the ball in his hands more often. It turns out, playing alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson put the pressure on them, and without them, the pressure is on him. He's averaging 16 points per game on 39.7% from the floor. Kuzma has been the guy for them averaging 22.1 per game. It will take a collective effort from Kuzma, Poole, Marvin Bagley III, and Tyus Jones for them to stay in the game.
Deni Avdija is questionable with a heel injury.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread/Win
LeBron will play again tonight as he is 40 points away from a milestone no one will reach for a long time. The Lakers are playing very well winning seven of their last 10 games. They need to keep momentum going so they can potentially win their way out from playing in the Play-In Tournament. As it stands now, the Lakers are 9th in the West with a 32-28 record. LA is now two games behind the Sacramento Kings for 8th and 2.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for 7th. The New Orleans Pelicans are three games ahead of the Lakers, so with 22 games remaining, they have plenty of time to get where they want to be.
As we saw last year, this team can make a postseason run. We all know LeBron doesn't have much time left in the NBA and he desperately wants one more chance at a title. I expect them to handle business every time they step on the court. They have an opportunity to climb the standings again with a win over the Wizards.
The Lakers are 27-33 ATS on the season.
A major stat to keep track of for this matchup is that the Lakers shoot damn near 50% every game. The Wizards allow that number on average. LeBron and Anthony Davis, who averages 16 point per game in the paint, should have no issue scoring the rock tonight.
Final Wizards-Lakers Prediction & Pick
Kuzma returns to LA where it helped shape the player he is today. I expect him to have a good game to try and keep the Wizards close for as long as possible. However, with history on the verge of happening, I expect LeBron and the Lakers to continue riding the momentum to a spread-covering win. With the O/U at 244, I like the under as well. The Wizards won't have the same success offensively as LA.
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Final Wizards-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Lakers -9.5 (-110), Under 244 (-110)
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