The Los Angeles Clippers (17-14, 9-7 Home), one of the NBA’s top shooting defenses, play host to the Washington Wizards (11-18, 3-11 Away) on Saturday. Washington was defeated by the Denver Nuggets 141-128 at Ball Arena on Wednesday, their eighth loss in a row. With 24 points, Kyle Kuzma was the scoring leader in the loss. Monte Morris added 20 points and seven assists.
The Wizards are 12th in the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles fell short on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena, falling to the Phoenix Suns 111-95. Terance Mann had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort, leading the team.
The Clippers are the eighth seed in the Western Conference. It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Los Angeles will be pursuing a season sweep against Washington after taking the only earlier meeting 114-107 at Capital One Arena on Saturday, their third straight head-to-head victory.
Paul George led the Clippers with 36 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Kuzma had 35 points in defeat. The Wizards have been led this season by Kristaps Porzingis and Kuzma, who are averaging 22.6 and 21.4 points per game, respectively. Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Porzingis is No. 1 and Kuzma is first. Porzingis also has grabbed 8.9 rebounds per game, most in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Morris is dishing 5.3 assists per game. George has powered the Clips on offense, averaging 23.5 points per game. He is the No. 1 scorer in the league.
Ivica Zubac is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game, most in the league, and John Wall is distributing 5.5 assists (1st).Foes are shooting 45.3% from the field against the Clippers, ranking as one of the toughest FG% defenses in the NBA (5th).
The Wizards have not found any success at Crypto.com Arena in recent seasons, winless in the last 10 visits. Washington is looking to avoid a ninth successive defeat on the road this season.Washington is 1-9 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -5.8 (116.2-122.0).
For the season, the Wizards are averaging 111.0 points per game, compared to 113.9 for opponents. Los Angeles has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 110.7 points per game on average while scoring only 108.7 (-2.0 margin).
WIZARDS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Will Barton: 26.3 | 14.5 | +11.9
Points per game:
Will Barton: 16.7 | 8.4 | +8.3
Assists per game:
Monte Morris: 6.7 | 5.3 | +1.4
CLIPPERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kawhi Leonard: 31.7 | 20.9 | +10.8
Ivica Zubac: 11.0 | 22.0 | -11.0
Points per game:
Kawhi Leonard: 19.0 | 12.5 | +6.5
Rebounds per game:
Kawhi Leonard: 8.3 | 5.3 | +3.1
Ivica Zubac: 6.0 | 10.8 | -4.8
Assists per game:
Paul George: 6.8 | 4.9 | +1.8
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
LA Clippers -7.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
