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Lakers vs Wizards Preview: Eastern Visitors on Easter

By Cody Williams

Dec 2, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) defends in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Lakers won 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) defends in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Lakers won 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Eastern Conference’s Wizards travel out west to play the Lakers at STAPLES Center on Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers have to be hoping that some sort of aid is hidden in some purple and gold Easter egg as they take on the Washington Wizards with the latter team traveling out west for their second matchup against the Lakers this season.

Though wins have obviously been hard to come by this season, one of the few came against the Wizards in the first game between these two teams on Dec. 2. It was Kobe Bryant who had one of his best games of the season in the December win over Washington, which will likely again need to be the case for the Lakers on Sunday night considering the situation they’re currently in.

In a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell suffered a sprained ankle. Though the injury has been called moderate, he was in a considerable amount of pain on Friday night and now it seems as if the young star isn’t going to be able to give it a go against the Wizards. That doesn’t bode well for the Lakers if Marcelo Huertas is going to be taking over the bulk of the point guard duties. 

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With Huertas playing a heavier role, Wizards star point guard John Wall is essentially going to have free reign over the hardwood in STAPLES Center. He’s a tough matchup against just about anyone, much less a player like Huertas or even Lou Williams that has struggled tremendously on the defensive end of the floor this season.

If the Lakers are going to have a chance against Washington on Easter Sunday, it’s really going to have to come down to two things. For one, Kobe is going to have to recapture the magic he found in the first matchup against the Wizards and put up an impressive scoring line. Moreover, Julius Randle will need to show off the all-around game that he put on display as a playmaker in the loss to the Nuggets.

There’s certainly a way things could play out in favor of the Lakers, but it seems ultimately unlikely given the circumstances. This one has a chance to get ugly in Los Angeles, but stranger things have happened before.

Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Sunday, March 27
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. PST
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Wizards -8.5
Moneyline: Wizards -430, Lakers +360
O/U: 213

Injury Report

Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Brown (foot)—Out, Kobe Bryant (shoulder)—Questionable, Ryan Kelly (wrist)—Questionable, Larry Nance Jr. (knee)—Probable, D’Angelo Russell (ankle)—Doubtful

Washington Wizards: Alan Anderson (ankle)—Questionable, Bradley Beal (pelvic sprain)—Questionable

Next: Julius Randle Showing Off His Playmaking Ability

Prediction

The Lakers picked up one of their few wins on the season in the first meeting against the Wizards, but this is a much different scenario on Sunday night. With Russell likely out and John Wall able to feast on Marcelo Huertas for most of the night, this game is going to be relatively one-sided in favor of the visiting team.

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