Washington Wizards vs Los Angeles Lakers 3/11/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers Matchup Preview (3/11/22)

The Washington Wizards will go coast-to-coast on Friday night to face the Lakers in Los Angeles. These teams are struggling, and it would take a significant push for either of them to make the postseason. Therefore, it will be interesting to see the intensity level in this matchup. The Lakers just dropped a horrendous game to the Houston Rockets, who have been far and away the worst defensive team in the NBA all year. In their past seven games, they are 1-6 with seemingly no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. This team may be so bad that even LeBron James cannot save them.

Meanwhile, Washington continues its free-fall in the Eastern Conference; it was first in the conference for the first several weeks of the season but has since tumbled towards the bottom. The Wizards are 2-2 in their past four games, so not all hope is lost to squeeze into the play-in tournament, but they will need to win games like these to have a chance. Currently, they are 1.5 games out of tenth place, and they have 18 games left to play. Below, I cover the likely outcome for this game and who I like to grab the win.

Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds

If you think that I will go with the Los Angeles Lakers against the spread (you shouldn’t), then you are wrong. The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the NBA in general and at covering the spread. While my confidence in the Washington Wizards is very little, my confidence in the Lakers is even less. I will take the Wizards against the spread at five points or better.

How To Watch

Date: 3/11/22
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Arena: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
Channel: NBA TV

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Washington Wizards Starting Lineup

PG: Raul Neto
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Corey Kispert
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Washington Wizards Analysis

The addition of Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline was an excellent long-term move for the Washington Wizards. Porzingis may struggle with injuries and should be a better rebounder, but he provides length, rim protection, and shooting for a big. We have to remember that Bradley Beal is out for the remainder of the season. When Beal comes back, the trio of Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal, and Kristaps Porzingis will be fairly decent in a competitive Eastern Conference. The Wizards also have a few young players, like Deni Avdija, Rui Hachimura, and Corey Kispert, who could be really solid when they have had a bit more time to develop. It won’t happen overnight for the Wizards, and they definitely need a few more high-ceiling draft prospects and role players, but eventually, they could have something.

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Malik Monk
SF: Austin Reaves
PF: Stanley Johnson
C: LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers Analysis

I will be happy to grin and bear it if the Lakers prove me wrong, but I don’t see how they find the playoffs. Even the biggest optimists will find a hard time justifying their abysmal loss to a Houston Rockets team that refuses to play any defense. Los Angeles has dropped six of its past seven games, with the only win coming against the Golden State Warriors, when LeBron scored 56 points. That is what it takes for this Lakers team to get one win right now. During that span, the Lakers have allowed opponents to score over 120 points per game on 52% from the field and 42% from deep, which is beyond embarrassing!

Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers Daily Fantasy Picks

As always, I do not want to recommend anyone from the Los Angeles Lakers outside of LeBron James. The Lakers have absolutely no consistency outside of James, and it is hard to guess who will play well in which game! LeBron is always great; what we do not know on a game-by-game basis is just how great he will be. For instance, LeBron posted 56 points and ten rebounds in their sole win over the past seven games as he put the Lakers on his back and carried them up Mt. Everest. That was two games ago for LeBron. James finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists in his last game. He is literally doing everything he can for this sad excuse of a basketball team. Before you plug him into your DFS lineup, though, consider each matchup and see if there is the potential for a blowout or not. In this case, we should not have to worry too much about it since the Wizards are not much better.

If there has been any bright light this season for the Washington Wizards, it has been Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards acquired Kuzma last summer, as well as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Lakers’ first-round pick, which turned into Corey Kispert, and Montrezl Harrell for Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has played poorly for most of the season, so this trade ended up being a solid one for the Wizards. Unfortunately, it has not helped them much in terms of the win column in the 2021-22 season. Still, Kuzma has shown a ton of promise and has really turned the corner that Lakers fans were hoping he would while he was there. Kuzma has averaged roughly 17 points, nine rebounds, and three assists on 46% shooting from the field this season. However, Kuzma has been much better in the second half of this season than in the first month or two. In the past six games Kuzma has played in, he has posted 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists; those are easily All-Star numbers if maintained for even the majority of the season. While I’m certainly not suggesting he is an All-Star, he has the usage necessary to put up those numbers, and that is what we care about in DFS!