The Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards will meet on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024 (7:10 PM ET). This will be one of those games between a team that needs a win for the standings, the LA Lakers, and a team that is eliminated, the Washington Wizards. It seems in these situations that the oddsmakers are often making big spreads and the Lakers are favored in this game accordingly at -13.0 (bet365). My Lakers vs Wizards prediction is that LA will win this game and cover the large spread.
NBA Matchup: Lakers vs Wizards
Away: Los Angeles Lakers
Home: Washington Wizards
Game time: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024 @ 7:10 PM ET
Lakers vs Wizards odds (home team’s spread): +13.0 (bet365)
Los Angeles vs Washington Prediction: Latest NBA News
The LA Lakers played their cards right on Tuesday night. They beat the Toronto Raptors by a comfortable margin and limited the minutes of their key players. LeBron James and Anthony Davis played fewer than 30 minutes a piece.
Also, six players appeared in the game off of the bench for LA. That should mean that the Lakers are well-rested for this back-to-back set. Often, you are worried about a team playing two games in two nights being a little sluggish. However, I don’t think bettors should be worried about that with LA in this game.
Los Angeles Lakers: Recent Form Alert
Formerly: 36 – 32 heading into March 18th, 2024
Currently: 43 – 33 (overall)
Recent form: 7 – 1 since March 18th, 2024
Recent winning rate: .875
Note: the Lakers have a win in the NBA Cup final (December 9th) that is not reflected in their regular-season record.
Los Angeles Lakers injuries: recent news
Bettors should be expecting updates from the LA Lakers on Wednesday. Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish were ruled out ahead of Tuesday’s game. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt is the only bench player who did not play in Tuesday’s game for LA. The box score said he had a right foot problem. Minimally, bettors will need to check on these players. But bettors should be diligent in checking the entire roster before backing LA to cover such a large spread. If there are some injuries, they are likely to be reported by the early afternoon on Wednesday.
Double-check for playing status updates with Los Angeles (01:56 ET time of writing): Team’s Depth Chart
Washington Wizards injuries: recent news
The Washington Wizards also played on Tuesday. They earned a tough-w, at least for their standards. Washington beat Milwaukee 117-113, a result that ended a three-game skid for the Wizards. The game was competitive with four Washington starters playing big minutes. It looks like a tough spot for them to be playing in back-to-back nights, with such a tough game on the first night.
Richaun Holmes, Kyle Kuzma, and Tyus Jones did not play on Tuesday. Holmes had a left toe injury, Kuzma had a right heel injury, and Jones missed with a back injury. Marvin Bagley III did play on Tuesday, however, he left the game early and did not re-enter it. Landry Shamet also missed Tuesday’s game. Washington looks really banged up at a tough time in their schedule. Furthermore, this is a team under no pressure in the standings as they cannot make the play-in tournament, even if they run the tables.
Double-check status updates Washington (01:56 ET time of writing):: Team’s Depth Chart
Lakers vs Wizards Prediction: Betting Tips
It would be shocking to see Washington win this game so long as LA’s injury updates aren’t terrible on Wednesday. I think LA could go without one of James or Davis and still post a good spread in this game. The moneyline is coming in at -1000 on LA, which is minimal for betting value in my view. I think bettors should take the Lakers to cover -13.0 in this one at -110 (bet365) instead.
The last time Washington played their second game in two nights, they lost to Boston by 26. I don’t think LA will put that big of a spread up but I think 17-19 is the right range.
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