Washington at LA Lakers NBA Spread, Betting Pick & TV Info

Looks like a major mismatch on Tuesday night when the surging Washington Wizards continue their road trip by visiting the terrible Los Angeles Lakers for the only time this season. It’s possible, though, the Wizards could be caught looking ahead to a tougher game Wednesday at the Clippers in the same building. But Washington is a big NBA spread favorite vs. the Lakers.

Washington at LA Lakers NBA Spread, Betting Pick & TV Info

When: Tuesday, March 28, 10:30 PM ET Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles TV: NBA TV Stream: NBA.tv Radio: Washington / Los Angeles NBA Odds: Wizards favored by TBA

Why Bet on Washington?

The Wizards won their third straight game Saturday and started a four-game road trip with a 127-115 victory in Cleveland. John Wall scored 37 points, and Bradley Beal added 27. Wall scored 18 in the first quarter, when the Wizards shot 82 percent, and Washington held on down the stretch to avenge an overtime loss to the NBA champions last month. Wall and the Wizards just dominated in the paint with 58 points from that range, and they also had a 27-4 advantage in fast-break points during this win. The Wizards’ scorching 59.8 percent shooting was the highest shooting percentage against the Cavs this year. Beal has been great in his team’s 11 wins since the break, posting a 64.8 true shooting percentage for his 26.5 points per game. Bojan Bogdanovic (lower back stiffness) didn’t play Saturday night in Cleveland. Bogdanovic doesn’t have a history of back problems in his NBA career, so it’s likely just a short-term thing. He has been terrific since coming over at the trade deadline from Brooklyn. The Croatian is averaging 14.8 points in 17 games since coming over. Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Kelly Oubre has been a “superstar” in his role off the bench. Oubre was a nuisance, much like he has been recently against the likes of Kemba Walker, Isaiah Thomas, Dennis Schroder and Jeremy Lin. Saturday, it was Kyrie Irving’s turn. Irving shot just 8-for- 23. “The game for Kelly, to me, is simple. Just compete,” Brooks said. “Deflections. Getting into the passing lanes. Contesting at the rim. Switching on our pick-and- roll coverage because he can guard one through four depending on the matchup and then rebound. The game rewards him when he does that.” The second-year wing had one of his best games of the season against and the Cavs, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, one steal and no turnovers in 26 minutes. That said, Oubre will lose time as soon as Bogdanovic returns.

Why Bet on Los Angeles?

The Lakers lost 97-81 at home to Portland on Sunday. D’Angelo Russell had 22 points, but Tyler Ennis’ 14 made him the only other Lakers player in double figures. Los Angeles shot 39.3 percent on the night. Julius Randle cooled off during Sunday’s lopsided defeat, scoring four points on 2-of- 7 shooting with nine boards, two assists, one steal and one block. He played 27 minutes and this was a big letdown after Friday’s huge all-around game. In his previous 10 games, Randle was averaging 14.7 points, 0.7 threes, 10.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. Rookie forward Brandon Ingram, who started the previous 19 games and averaged 12.1 points on 48.4 percent shooting, did not play because of right patellar tendinitis. Said coach Luke Walton: “He was out there warming up and it’s not right.”; Corey Brewer got his first start for the Lakers, finishing with three points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, one 3-pointer and two blocks in 19 minutes. David Nwaba came off the bench on Sunday for nine points on 4-of- 4 shooting with one 3-pointer, one rebound and one steal in 29 minutes of action. Walton said Nwaba was “spectacular” filling in for Ingram late in Friday’s game. As noted, Brewer got the start in place of Ingram, but the D-League call-up wound up playing more minutes in the blowout home loss. X-rays were negative on Jordan Clarkson’s bruised fifth metacarpal on Sunday, and he returned to finish with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists, going 4-of- 16 from the field with one 3-pointer. Clarkson dropped a career-high 35 points on Friday and he seems to have avoided any serious injury. The Lakers fell to 21-52, half a game worse than the Phoenix Suns. The team with the worst record in the NBA will have a 64.1% chance of having a lottery pick in the top three. It’s been fairly well-chronicled that if the Lakers finish with the NBA’s second-worst record, they enter the draft lottery with a 55.8-percent chance to land a top-three pick, and thus avoid having to send it to Philadelphia. Finish with the third-worst record, and the Lakers’ retention chance drops to 46.9 percent.

Washington at LA Lakers Betting Pick: Washington Wizards

Washington will complete the season sweep after beating L.A. 116-108 on Feb. 2.