Wizards vs. Clippers preview: Washington hopes to continue strong play against inconsistent LA squad

Game Info

When: Wednesday, March 29 at 10:30 p.m.
Where: Staples Center in Los Angles, California - Home of the Lakers
TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic, League Pass
Radio: 1500 AM and Wizards Radio App

Injury Report

Wizards: We good, bruh.

Clippers: J.J. Redick (ankle) is listed as questionable. He did not play in the Clippers’ one-point loss to the Kings on Sunday. Diamond Stone (Knee (#HeATerp)) did also not play against the Kings.

What to watch for

There have been better times for the Clippers. Doc Rivers’ side entered the season with a “last chance” vibe to them. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are free agents this summer and, in their six years together, the duo has yet to lead the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals.

To make matters worse, the Clippers are playing at their worst on the eve of the playoffs. To say the least, they’ve been inconsistent, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. The end of March is when contenders are supposed to be peaking, not turning into a disaster in the final four minutes of games.

In their loss to the trying-to-lose-as-many-games-as-possible-so-we-keep-our-pick Sacramento Kings, the Clippers entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead and lost by two. 11 days before that, the Clippers led the Bucks heading into the fourth quarter and lost by one. Between those games, the Clippers lost to two others teams they shouldn’t have, the Nuggets and Mavericks.

So, what can we expect from this Clippers’ team? It’s tough to predict. But if the game is tight in the end, they might just beat themselves.

Most likely Wizards Killer: Mo Speights

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Speights had sort of a rough game in his last outing, scoring seven points on six shots to go along with four rebounds in 13 minutes of play against the Kings. But when the Wizards and Clippers last met on December 18 - a 117-110 win for the Wizards in which Bradley Beal scored 41 points - Speights had a solid game, perhaps exposing one of the Wizards’ weaknesses in their ability to defend perimeter bigs.

The 6-foot-10 center scored 14 points in 12 minutes, hitting two shots from behind the arc, and grabbed four rebounds. Without him, the game wouldn’t have been as close. The 29-year-old is shooting 38-percent from three-point range this season, a few ticks up from his career average.

In 19 career games against Washington, Speights averages 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and shoots 33 percent from three.

However, this also happened the last time he played the Wizards. Maybe he’ll be looking for revenge.