The Los Angeles Lakers picked up arguably their best win of the season on Wednesday night, coming back from down 21 in the fourth quarter to beat the L.A. Clippers in their final regular season game as the road team at Crypto.com Arena.
It marked the largest fourth quarter comeback of LeBron James’ career, and he played a massive part in it by hitting five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points to outscore the Clippers by himself.
Now though, the focus shifts towards Thursday night as the Lakers return to the court, hosting to Washington Wizards in the second night of a back-to-back.
This is an opportunity for the Lakers to build some much-needed momentum going into a tough part of the schedule. The Wizards come in tied for the worst record in the NBA at 9-49 and losers of 12 straight. If they cannot beat the Lakers then they will have gone winless in the month of February.
As has been the case for a while though, the Lakers remain shorthanded with Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood all out.
James was listed as questionable as he continues to manage his ankle issue and despite it being the second night of a back-to-back, it appears he is able to give it a go, which is obviously great news.
For the Wizards, rookie Bilal Coulibaly (right pelvic contusion) and Isaiah Livers (right hip joint capsule inflammation) are out while Deni Avdija (left heel contusion) is able to play despite being listed as questionable.
Despite how poorly the Wizards have been playing though, the Lakers definitely can’t take them lightly. Washington not only has the rest advantage, but they also have some quality talent in Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Tyus Jones, who are all capable of getting hot if L.A. is not prepared.
The Lakers definitely have enough firepower to come out on top though, and one person who will surely look to get going offensively is Rui Hachimura. The forward has played well in recent weeks since entering the starting lineup and this marks his first game against the team that drafted him out of Gonzaga and traded him to L.A. a little over a year ago.
Los Angeles Lakers (32-28) vs. Washington Wizards (9-49)
7:30 p.m. PT, Thursday, February 29, 2024
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, Max Christie
Projected Wizards Starting Lineup:
PG: Tyus Jones
SG: Landry Shamet
SF: Deni Advija
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: Marvin Bagley
Key Reserves: Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Richaun Holmes, Jared Butler
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