Washington at Los Angeles

The Lakers have some chemistry to deal with, integrating both Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant back into the lineup. Bryant has sat out the last two games to rest his sprained left ankle and to recover from a bout with the flu, while Gasol has been out since Feb. 6 with a torn plantar fascia. The Lakers are still soft on defense, prone to young, slashing guard play, which is what Washington is excellent at. Washington has been on the upswing since John Wall returned to the lineup on Jan. 12 and has won four of its last five overall, and a 4-1 ATS run. This young team has shown plenty of fire, winning at Phoenix the last game, 88-79. This team is very good defensively, No. 6 in the NBA, allowing 95.4 points per game. They allowed 33% at Phoenix and the offense shot 48% behind John Wall (19 points) and Nene Hilario (17 points, 8 rebounds). The Wizards are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 games against a team with a winning record and 22-6-1 ATS against the Western Conference.  The Wizards are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings, as well as 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles. Take the points and go with the Wizards.