The Washington Wizards (11-15, 8-5 Home) will try to break down one of the league’s top shooting defenses when they welcome the Los Angeles Clippers (14-13, 7-7 Away) on Saturday. Los Angeles was beaten by the Miami Heat 115-110 at FTX Arena on Thursday.
Paul George was a top performer in the losing effort with 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Clippers are the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Washington is playing the second of a back-to-back after dropping their fifth in a row yesterday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, falling to the Indiana Pacers 121-111.
Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and nine rebounds in the loss to lead the team. The Wizards are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Los Angeles won both matchups between the teams last season, the last of which was a 115-109 triumph at Crypto.com Arena on March 9.
Reggie Jackson led the Clippers with 31 points, while Marcus Morris Sr. contributed 27 points and eight rebounds. Porzingis had 19 points in the loss.
The Clips have been led this season by George, who is averaging 23.0 points per game, best in the league. Meanwhile, Ivica Zubac is grabbing 11.4 rebounds per game, most in the NBA, and John Wall is dishing 5.8 assists (1st).
Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma have powered the Wizards on offense, averaging 22.4 and 20.8 points per game, respectively. Porzingis leads the NBA in scoring, while Kuzma is first. Porzingis also has averaged 8.8 rebounds per game, most in the NBA. Monte Morris has doled out 5.2 assists per game. The Clippers are holding foes to one of the lowest FG% in the league, ranking fourth at 45.5%.
The Clippers have come up short in recent trips to Capital One Arena, losing six of the last 10. Meanwhile, the Wizards are 3-1 this season when playing on consecutive nights and 2-1 in such games against opponents with at least a day of rest. In the last 10 games, Los Angeles is 4-6 with an average margin of -4.8 (111.2-116.0).
For the season, the Clippers are averaging 107.4 points per game, compared to 109.3 for opponents. Washington has a 2-8 record over the last 10, allowing 117.8 points per game on average while scoring only 114.5 (-3.3 margin).
CLIPPERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kawhi Leonard: 24.0 | 16.9 | +7.1
Points per game:
Marcus Morris Sr.: 9.8 | 13.5 | -3.7
Assists per game:
Paul George: 6.3 | 4.6 | +1.7
WIZARDS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Will Barton: 7.8 | 12.9 | -5.1
Rebounds per game:
Kristaps Porzingis: 11.4 | 8.8 | +2.6
Kyle Kuzma: 5.4 | 7.5 | -2.1
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Washington Wizards (+170)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
