Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 2/29/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Los Angeles Lakers (31-28) will try to defeat the Washington Wizards (9-49) at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.

The Wizards took the court against the Warriors and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 123-112 in their last contest. Washington finished the game having earned a 49.5% field goal percentage (46 out of 93) and converted 12 of 35 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Wizards made 8 of their 10 tries for a rate of 80.0%. With respect to getting rebounds, they compiled 41 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 34 dimes in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 18 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Concerning the defense, Washington allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 47 of 94 shooting. Golden State distributed 39 assists and had 12 steals in the game. In addition, Golden State pulled down 44 boards (9 offensive, 35 defensive) and got 5 blocks. Golden State went 72.7% at the free throw line by making 8 of 11 tries. They also converted 21 of their 46 tries from distance. In the matter of fouls, the Wizards ended up finishing with 12 and the Warriors finished the game with 11 fouls.

Kyle Kuzma is a guy who came through for the matchup. Kuzma walked away from this one shooting 57.1% from the floor and dished out 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 38 mins and collected 12 rebounds. He ended up with 27 points on 12 out of 21 shooting.

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Washington heads into this one with a record of 9-49 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 114.3 points per game (18th in the league) while shooting 47.1% from the field. The Wizards are shooting 34.9% on 3-point shots (706 of 2,022) and 76.3% from the charity stripe. As a team, Washington is pulling in 40.8 rebounds per game and is sitting with 1,631 dimes on the year, which is 9th in basketball in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.0 times per game and as a squad they are committing 19.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Wizards have forced 14.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.2 fouls. They are 30th in the NBA in giving up assists with 1,752 conceded this year. The Wizards defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 50.0% (2,702 of 5,406) and they relinquish 49.5 rebounds per game as a group. They are surrendering 37.0% on 3-pointers and they rank 30th in the league in points per game from their opponents (124.2).

In their last game, the Lakers took a loss by a score of 123-113 against the Suns. The Lakers collected 31 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 34 in this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while getting 7 steals for this contest. The Suns committed 12 personal fouls for this game which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 8 attempts. They were able to make 4 of the free throws for a percentage of 50.0%. When discussing shooting from beyond the arc, Los Angeles made 15 of their 35 attempts (42.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Lakers ended up shooting 47 for 90 from the floor which had them at 52.2%. The Lakers allowed the Suns to make 44 of their 93 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.3% for the matchup. They finished 42.5% from distance by hitting 17 out of 40 and finished the contest at 18 out of 19 at the free throw line (94.7%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, Los Angeles permitted Phoenix to collect 51 in all (14 on the offensive glass).

LeBron James ended up being important for the Lakers for the game. James accumulated 28 points in his 37 mins on the court and added 12 dimes in the matchup. He made 12 out of 19 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 63.2%, and totaled 7 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 31-28 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Lakers are connecting on 49.5% from the floor, which has them ranked 4th in basketball. Los Angeles has accounted for 6,898 pts for the year (116.9 per game) and they snag 42.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 28.5 times per game (7th in basketball) and they cough up possession 13.7 times per game. The Lakers are committing 16.3 fouls per game and they shoot 77.2% from the charity stripe.

The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 19th in the league in PPG given up with 117.4. They have forced 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the floor (14th in basketball). The Los Angeles defense concedes 37.6% on three-point shots (839 of 2,233) and opponents are connecting on 80.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 28.0 assists and 44.6 boards every game, which is 24th and 21st in the NBA.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington

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