The Los Angeles Lakers have revenge on their minds when they visit the Washington Wizards this Thursday, as they lost in the first meeting. The Wizards, meanwhile, are looking to return to their winning ways after getting tripped up by the San Antonio Spurs.

Catch this game live on Thursday, April 29, at 7:30 AM, Manila time

HOME TEAM: Washington Wizards (27-34, 15-17 at home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Russell Westbrook
  • SG: Raul Neto
  • SF:  Bradley Beal
  • PF: Rui Hachimura
  • C: Alex Len

The Wizards’ hot streak came to an end on Tuesday, as they suffered their first defeat in nine games after losing to the San Antonio Spurs at home in overtime, 146-143. What the Spurs failed to stop, though, was Russell Westbrook’s triple-double assault. Brodie recorded his 29th trip-dub of the season by posting 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists, while Bradley Beal went 20-37 from the floor for 45 points. 

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Westbrook and Beal will dictate how Washington will fare against the Lakers, but the team’s defense could offer a surprise just like when the Wizards defeated Los Angeles on the road last February, 127-124. In that game, the Wizards forced the Lakers to commit 20 turnovers, while winning the rebounding battle, 65-54.

Sure, the Lakers didn’t have Anthony Davis back then, but the Wizards will have Alex Len this time around. Len has been a nonfactor for most of the season but he just had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Spurs game. The Wizards are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games after a 1-day rest.

ROAD TEAM: Los Angeles Lakers (36-25, 19-12 on the road)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Dennis Schroder
  • SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  • SF: Kyle Kuzma
  • PF: Anthony Davis
  • C: Andre Drummond

The Lakers added to their happy memories in Orlando, the site of their 2020 NBA Championship win, by taking down the Orlando Magic last Tuesday to prevent a four-game losing skid. Prior to that, the Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz at home then twice in back-to-back fashion on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. 

LeBron James is still not expected to play, but Dennis Schroder has stepped it up of late, having averaged 20.4 points on 51.2 FG% and 9.4 assists in the last five Lakers games. Schroder and Anthony Davis were not around in the initial meeting with the Wizards, so their presence on the floor this Thursday could puzzle Washington’s defense which is already one of the worst in the league. 

In fact, Washington is allowing 118.2 points per game –second-worst in the NBA. The Lakers, on the other hand,  arrive in the capital with a 4-0-1 ATS record in their last five games as road favorites.

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PREDICTIONS:

Spread:

The Wizards had a nice undefeated run before losing to the Spurs, but during that win streak, who have they really beaten? It was just a bunch of lottery teams and some others with borderline chances to get in the play-in tournament. The Lakers are a different animal even without LeBron James. Take the Lakers to win and cover -3.

Over/Under:

The Lakers’ defense and the presence of Anthony Davis in the middle will slow down Westbrook and the Wizards. Take the Under 224.0

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