The Washington Wizards lug their 10-game losing streak to L.A. to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Washington’s woes have been compounded by a recent downtick in production from star guard Jordan Poole, who could be in for a long night against Los Angeles as we preview the matchup in my Wizards vs. Lakers predictions.
Here are my best NBA picks for Tuesday, January 21.
Wizards vs Lakers prediction
My best bet
Jordan Poole Under 20.5 points (-115 at bet365)
My analysis
Jordan Poole erupted for 38 points while playing against his former club, the Golden State Warriors, on Saturday. However, without that extra motivation, Poole has been ho-hum for most of the month.
He followed that heated effort against the Warriors with an absolute stinker versus the Sacramento Kings, shooting 4 for 11 from the field and committing six turnovers on Sunday. The game prior to playing in Golden State, Poole posted only 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting in a home loss to the Phoenix Suns last Thursday.
Outside of playing with passion against the Dubs (and jacking up 25 shots), Poole has failed to top 20 points in four of his last five outings. He started January with a hot hand but has since connected on less than 40% of his shots, including a 35% clip from 3-point range, in the past five contests.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t among the defensive elite, but they do play a considerably slower pace than the Washington Wizards, which will put the breaks on Washington’s up-tempo offense and limit its possessions and field goal attempts.
Player projections for Poole range from 17.7 to 21 points, with the bulk of those models coming in shorter than his scoring prop total of 20.5 points on Tuesday. My number sits just north of 18.5 points, which should have the Under 20.5 drawing juice around -180. You can get Poole Under 20.5 points at -115 at bet365.
Wizards vs Lakers same-game parlay
Outside of an extra effort against the Dubs, Poole is shooting poorly and plenty of projections have him scoring less than 20 points tonight.
Reeves will let it fly against a Wizards defense giving up the second most 3-pointers in the NBA.
The Lakers have done a good job on defense in recent home stands and will slow down Washington’s tempo with their methodical pace.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Wizards vs Lakers odds
Wizards vs Lakers live odds
Wizards vs Lakers opening odds
- Spread: Washington +13.5 (-110) | Los Angeles -13.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Washington +575 | Los Angeles -850
- Over/Under: Over 228.5 (-110) | Under 228.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Wizards vs Lakers spread and Over/Under analysis
- Los Angeles opened as a 14.5-point home favorite and that spread dipped as low as -12/5 before coming back up to -13.5.
- The Over/Under started at 231.5 points and has dropped to 229.5 O/U with movement toward the Under.
- Covers Consensus shows 61% of spread picks taking that pile of points with Washington while 67% of total picks are siding with the Over in L.A. tonight.
Wizards vs Lakers trend
Washington is 1-16 SU and 5-11 ATS against non-conference competition this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Wizards vs. Lakers.
How to watch Wizards vs Lakers
Location | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA |
Date | Tuesday, 1-21-2025 |
Tip-off | 10:30 p.m. ET |
TV | Spectrum SportsNet, MNMT2 |
Wizards vs Lakers latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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