With Barack Obama clogging streets across Los Angeles, LA sent its Lakers to attempt to cause simmilar chaos in nation’s capital. The Lakers take on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening with a curiously early 4 pm PST tipoff.
The Lakers will look to extend their three-game winning streak against a Wizards squad that has won three of its last four. After starting out 2-7, the Wizards have seemingly found their footing. John Wall is in his fourth season with the Wizards, and the speedy point guard is averaging 18.6 points and 8.9 assists per game—both on pace to be career-highs.
A season ago, Wall only played the Lakers once, but he lit up LA for 24 points and 16 assists. More recently, Wall has been in a scoring mood, and the former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 34 points per game in his last two appearances. After 14 games, no one on the Lakers has even touched 30 points this season.
The Lakers are winning games with a balanced attack, teamwork, and effort. The coaches and players all seem to be on the same page, and the lack of a consistent scoring threat did not seem to handicap the squad at home.
However, the road is a different story.
The Lakers are 1-4 away from Staples Center this season. Three of those four losses were hardly competitive, so the Lakers have not yet proven that their energy and effort can travel on the road.
Tuesday’s game against the Wizards provides another test. With Brooklyn and Detroit waiting in the wings, the LA faces a daunting three games in four days. That schedule is brutal regardless of the opponents. Add in a few long flights, and the NBA schedule is not doing LA any favors so far this year. As cliché as it may sound, the Lakers have to take it one game at a time.
The Lakers at Wizards tips-off at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. at 4 pm PST.
