NBA: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Washington Wizards Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Washington Wizards search for revenge against the LA Clippers this Thursday night in DC. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook led the Wizards to a nice winning streak on their tour through the West, but that stretch was ended in LA by the Clippers’ hands. That is why the hosts have a special motivation coming into tonight’s event, as they want to get even with the team from the City of Angels.

Preview

Los Angeles Clippers (24-13, -240) are without Kawhi Leonard in this match, according to all the relevant info. That will be a huge blow for Tyronn Lue, and we already saw the significance of the Claw on so many occasions in the past.

The Clips are on a two-game losing skid. The first loss came in Milwaukee against the Bucks on Saturday night, and the latest in Boston this Tuesday, with the Celtics defeating the rivals from the West Coast, 117-112. LAC was hanging on until the final period, once they cracked under the hosts’ constant pressure.

Paul George finished with 32 points in the Clippers loss vs the Celtics, but went 1-for-11 with 3 points when guarded by Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/EBjrjx59gp

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 3, 2021

Boston outrebounded the Clippers 55-40, which became the biggest reason for their win. Paul George scored 32 points, but shot threes 5-for-15, which is under his usual level. Reggie Jackson dropped 25 buckets, with seven assists, while Lou Williams added 12 off the bench.

Washington Wizards (13-20, +195) had seven wins in eight matches, but after that burst, they lost two in a row. One was against the Boston Celtics on the road, 111-110, in an intense finish, that saw the Wizards losing a two-possession edge over the last minute.

The second defeat was at home to Memphis Grizzlies, 125-111, and that was something nobody expected. This match was tight until the middle of the second period, once the Grizzlies pulled away to a 15-point lead at halftime. After that it was all a routine for them, while on the other side, the Wizards’ attempts to come back ended up with frustration.

Bradley Beal finished with 46 points in the loss.

He's now lost 11 straight games when scoring 40+ points, the longest streak in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/grjpZZVwdq

— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2021

Beal and Westbrook had 23 points each, with the note that Brody added 15 assists. They were 16-for-34 from the field combined. What lacked for them in this one was the support of the teammates. Bertans had just 11 points, Hachimura and Mo Wagner 7 each. Also, the turnovers were a big problem for the home team, as they had 22, while on the other side, the Grizzlies allowed just 13.

Head to Head Matches

The match in LA took place on February 23, with the Clippers winning 135-116. Kawhi scored 32 points, Paul George 30. Four Clippers’ players off the bench had 10_ points. Meanwhile, Beal had a team-high for the Wizards, 28 points, Mo Wagner added 21, and Russell Westbrook was one rebound shy of a triple-double, 20 points, 10 assists, and nine boards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIkmWIIrVKo

Prediction

Without Leonard, this will be an interesting matchup, and to be honest, we can’t wait for it to start. The Clips are favorites, but we wouldn’t be so courageous to bet on their win. Instead, high efficiency is our choice. Anything below 236 points in tonight’s encounter is surprising, considering how both sides play recently. The same line for the total points was set in their last matchup and the result was way higher. So, we go with Over here.

Over 235.5 points