The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to the nation’s capital to take on the struggling Washington Wizards on Thursday, missing their star player Anthony Davis.
The Lakers’ four-game winning streak came to an end with a 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. Davis exited the game in the first half due to an abdominal strain and will be sidelined for at least a week. Before his injury, Davis had been averaging 32.8 points and 15 rebounds over the previous four games, including a 42-point, 23-rebound performance in Monday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Despite shooting 51.4% from the field on Tuesday, the Lakers struggled with ball security, committing 22 turnovers on the second night of a back-to-back. LeBron James led the team with 31 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, marking his highest scoring total since January 2. James is averaging 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and a team-high nine assists per game, supporting Davis’ team-leading 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest.
On the other hand, the Wizards are enduring another disappointing season, following last year’s franchise-low performance. They are currently on a 15-game losing streak, which includes a 111-88 defeat to the Lakers on January 21. In their latest game, Washington lost to the Toronto Raptors 106-82, shooting just 5-for-30 from three-point range and committing 27 turnovers.
A silver lining for the Wizards has been the play of Jordan Poole, who is averaging a career-high 20.7 points per game in his second season with the team. However, he struggled against the Raptors, scoring only three points on 1-for-9 shooting. Kyle Kuzma had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, recording his third double-double of the season and second in the past three games.
The Wizards have been plagued by slow starts, most recently falling behind 14-0 to begin the game against Toronto. Kuzma follows Poole with 14.5 points per game, while Bilal Coulibaly contributes 12.3 points per contest. The Wizards are seeking their first win against the Lakers since March 2022, having lost the last five meetings in the series.
