Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 12/18/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Sunday, December 18, 2022

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Los Angeles Lakers host the Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

The Wizards faced the Nuggets and went home with a loss by a final score of 141-128 in their last contest. Washington wrapped up the contest having earned a 52.7% FG percentage (48 out of 91) and converted 19 of their 39 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Wizards made 13 of their 23 tries for a rate of 56.5%. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 24 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 40 dimes for this contest while creating 18 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When it comes to the defense, Washington allowed the other team to shoot 65.1% from the field on 54 of 83 shooting. Denver recorded 31 assists and had 8 steals in this contest. On top of that, Denver pulled down 45 rebounds (7 offensive, 38 defensive) and had 5 blocks. Denver shot 82.9% from the free throw line by knocking down 29 of their 35 shots. They also knocked down 4 out of their 16 shots from 3-point land. In the matter of fouls, the Wizards ended up finishing with 28 and the Nuggets accounted for 17 fouls.

Kyle Kuzma is a guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He recorded 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins and collected 2 boards. Kuzma ended up going 56.3% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists.

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Washington will enter this matchup with a mark of 11-18 this year. They turn it over 13.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 19.9 fouls every game. As a unit, Washington is snagging 43.7 boards per contest and has totaled 726 assists this year, which is 11th in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Wizards are hitting 34.8% on three-point attempts (326 of 936) and 75.9% from the charity stripe. They average 111.0 points per game (22nd in the league) while connecting on 47.4% from the field.

On defense, the Wizards have forced 12.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.6 personal fouls. They are 10th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 699 relinquished for the season. The Wizards defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.5% (1,203 of 2,586) and they concede 43.7 boards per game as a squad. They surrender 37.2% from 3-point land and they are ranked 17th in the NBA in points per game allowed (113.9).

In their last game, the Lakers took a defeat with a final score of 122-118 against the Celtics. The Lakers collected 42 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 49 for this game. They gave up possession 11 times, while earning 7 steals for this contest. The Celtics had 22 personal fouls for this game which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for 30 attempts. They were able to make 22 of the free throws for a rate of 73.3%. Regarding shooting from downtown, Los Angeles converted 8 out of their 29 tries (27.6%). At the conclusion of this game, the Lakers went 44 out of 93 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.3%. The Lakers allowed the Celtics to bury 46 of 104 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 44.2% in this matchup. They finished shooting 39.6% from downtown by shooting 19 out of 48 and ended up shooting 11 out of 16 from the free throw line (68.8%). When discussing rebounding, Los Angeles allowed Boston to collect 51 overall (13 on the offensive glass).

Anthony Davis was important for the Lakers in this contest. He converted 13 of 24 for this contest giving him a rate of 54.2%, and had 12 rebounds. Davis accumulated 37 points in his 46 mins on the hardwood and tallied 3 dimes for this game.

Los Angeles has a record of 11-16 for the year. The Lakers have committed 18.3 fouls per game and they go 80.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 24.7 times per contest (16th in basketball) and they are turning it over 14.6 times per game. Los Angeles has totaled 3,104 points on the year (115.0 per game) and they collect 45.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Lakers are connecting on 47.4% from the floor, which is ranked 14th in the league.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 34.3% on 3-point shots (335 of 976) and their opponents are connecting on 76.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 26.3 assists and 46.6 boards every game, ranking them 26th and 29th in the NBA. The Lakers on defense are ranked 25th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 116.6. They have forced 13.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.5% from the floor (9th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington

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