The Washington Wizards had their best performance of the season against the Miami HEAT on Monday night, securing a 21 point victory over their Southeast Division rivals. Tonight, they’ll look to continue their success against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are undefeated against Eastern Conference opponents. The game will tip-off at 7:00pm EST from the Verizon Center.

Key Match Up:

Averaging nearly 26 points, Kobe Bryant is leading the NBA in points per game and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently top 10 in offensive efficiency. Kobe isn’t nearly as efficient as he once was, but the 36 year old superstar has still found a way to will his team to several impressive victories. The Lakers are coming off wins against the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons, and they’re currently 4-0 against teams in the East.

Although the Lakers will likely miss the NBA Playoffs this season, they’re still capable of beating top teams on any given night. The Washington Wizards are currently chasing the Raptors for the first spot in the East, and with DeMar DeRozan out for Toronto, the Wizards could have a legitimate chance to catch up.

Bradley Beal will be faced with a tough task in defending Kobe Bryant tonight, and the match up could determine the outcome of tonight’s game. The last time the two teams met, Kobe scored 30 points on 29 shot attempts against Beal, but the Wizards went on to lose the contest. Of course, the Washington Wizards are a much better basketball team than they were during Beal’s rookie season, so if he can make life hard for Kobe tonight, the home team should be able to prevail.

Kobe is going to find a way to score 25+ points, but if Beal can make him take tough outside shots, I think Washington will live with the outcome.

Prediction:

Great teams are capable of backing up great performances, so after obliterating the HEAT at home, the Washington Wizards can’t come out flat against a 5 win team tonight. The Lakers have several players on their roster that are capable of turning the game around. Players like Kobe, Nick Young, and Jeremy Lin are capable of putting up big numbers, so the Washington Wizards have to remain locked in defensively.

But, with all that said, I think the Washington Wizards will get a comfortable win tonight. John Wall has picked poor defensive team apart this season, and the Lakers are currently the worst defensive team in the league. Considering the amount of offensive talent the Wizards have, it would truly be disappointing if they were upset tonight.

I don’t think the Lakers have enough depth nor talent to beat the Wizards at home tonight. Still, there are several match ups that will cause some excitement for the fans in attendance tonight. Seeing Paul Pierce and Kobe on the same floor is worth the price of admission alone. Let’s hope the Wizards continue to play well at home tonight.