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The Washington Wizards will head to the Crypto.com Arena for a matchup against the LA Lakers on Friday, March 11. Both teams come into the game on the back of losses and will be hoping to get back to winning ways by putting on a brilliant performance.
The Wizards suffered yet another loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Despite trailing in the fourth quarter, the Clippers hung onto the end and grabbed a thrilling win at home. Reggie Jackson scored 31 points and drained clutch free throws to carry them to a 115-109 win on the night.
The Lakers lost their game to the struggling Houston Rockets side at the Toyota Center. With LeBron James back, the purple and gold looked determined to get back to winning ways.
However, the young Rockets made things difficult for the star-studded Lakers as they took the game to overtime. From there on, they never looked back, the Rockets started the OT period scoring nine consecutive points. This brilliant run helped them get their first win over the their opponents this season with a 139-130 scoreline.
Match Details
Fixture: Washington Wizards vs LA Lakers | NBA Season 2021-22
Date & Time: Friday, March 11, 11:30 PM ET [Saturday, March 12, 9:00 AM IST]
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Washington Wizards Preview
The Washington Wizards headed into the 2021-22 season with a lot of hope on their shoulders. They were certainly a talented team with a lot of firepower. After starting brilliantly, the franchise was promising to be a force in the East. As the season progressed, they kept taking one step backwards and ended up being placed eleventh in the East with a 29-35 record.
To add to their woes, the team lost the services of Bradley Beal last month due to a wrist injury. The team traded away the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell and Davis Bertans, but nothing seems to be working for them. They have won only four of their last 10 games.
With only 18 games left in their season, the Wizards will soon have to find form if they are to make it to the play-in tournament.
Players like Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are well versed with the Lakers' style of play as they were part of the purple and gold last season. Although they have stated that there is no bad blood, both of these hoopers will be looking to prove a point in this game.
The Lakers are struggling on the defensive end and if the Wizards manage to expose them on that end, they could walk out of the Crypto.com Arena with a win.
Key Player - Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma has been one of the best players for the Wizards this season. He has elevated his game in the absence of Beal and become a scorer and their go-to guy in the clutch.
Over the last five games, Kuzma has averaged 23.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 6.2 APG on 49.5% shooting from the field. He has shown a lot of maturity as a player and seems to be loving his time in Washington.
Going up against the Lakers, he will be hoping to deliver a game-winning performance to prove the purple and gold what he is capable of. The 26-year-old is in stellar form and if he can bring it into this game, the Lakers are going to be in a lot of trouble.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G - Raul Neto, G - Corey Kispert, F - Kentavious Caldwell - Pope, F - Kyle Kuzma, C - Daniel Gafford
LA Lakers Preview
The LA Lakers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season. Not only have they received a lot of slander from the media, but their fans seem to be disappointed in them and hope for a change of fortune soon. The team's record has been bad against the lower-seeded units and this one yet again proves to be a big challenge for the purple and gold.
LeBron James has been in stellar form, but other than him, no one from the Lakers has played with consistency. With just 18 games left, the team will have to keep all of their past setbacks behind and focus on the task in front of them. They have lost six of their last seven games and desperately need to win this game.
But for that to happen, they will have to be a lot more solid on the defensive end. Coach Frank Vogel takes a lot of pride in his defense, but this season that has not been the case.
The Lakers will have to be at their best on both ends of the floor as this win is going to be crucial for them. Both teams were involved in one of the biggest trades of the offseason. The deal saw Russell Westbrook move to the Lakers in exchange for Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope and Harrell.
Since this is going to be the first time these two sides have faced each other since the trade, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Key Player - LeBron James
LeBron James has had a fantastic individual season so far. He has averaged 29.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 6.3 APG in 47 appearances. His good form has not helped transcend the Lakers into being a good team.
Playing in Year 19, King James has averaged 37 minutes per game. He has been consistent and his athleticism is still intact. Despite having a brilliant individual season, James is certainly not happy with how things have gone down with the team.
He is still hoping for a turnaround and with him on the roster, many fans have also remained confident about the team.
In the game against the Wizards, James will be looking to silence a few of his critics, who pointed fingers at him after he passed up a game-winner to Carmelo Anthony.
He is certainly capable of taking over the game whenever he wants, and if the Wizards are not defensively active throughout the game, LeBron James could single-handedly snatch the win away from them.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G - Russell Westbrook, G - Austin Reaves, F - Malik Monk, F - LeBron James, C - Dwight Howard
Wizards vs Lakers Match Prediction
The Wizards and the Lakers are in similar situations, where every win is going to be extremely crucial for them.
However, considering the fixture is being played at home, the Lakers will walk into this game as favorites. A win is not going to be very easy as the Wizards will try and make things very difficult for them right from the tip-off.
Where to watch the Wizards vs Lakers game?
All games will be available to stream live on the official NBA app. The game between the Wizards and the Lakers will nationally be televised on NBA TV. NBC Sports Washington and Spectrum SportsNet will locally air the game.
Guess the Lakers players!
