Los Angeles Clippers vs. Washington Wizards - 7/25/20 NBA Picks and Prediction

Realistically speaking, the Clippers don’t have much chance of catching the Lakers at securing the top playoff seed. At 5.5 games back it would be a tall order to make that swing with only an eight-game slate. So long as Los Angeles can keep the Nuggets (1.5 games behind) at bay, the Clippers will maintain form in the standings. 

Los Angeles played their first scrimmage game on Wednesday against the Magic. In that one, the Clippers were able to come away with a 99-90 victory. Lou Williams led LA with 22 points and three rebounds, and Paul George added 18 points with a 4-for-8 line from 3-point range. Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson each chipped in nine points for the Clippers there as well. 

Over on the Wizards’ side, they’ve got their work cut out for them. Washington is 5.5 games behind the Magic in that number eight playoff spot, and it’s going to have to be a great restart showing if the Wizards want to eke their way in. It'll certainly help if the injured Nets play as badly during the restart as everyone thinks they will. Brooklyn is in the No. 7 spot in the East and 6.0 games ahead of Washington. Anything’s possible, but it’s a tall order. 

Washington also played a scrimmage game on Wednesday, theirs against the Nuggets. The Wizards fell in that one 89-82. Tops in scoring for Washington was Rui Hachimura with 18 points and nine rebounds. Troy Brown also had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, but went just 1-of-7 on 3-pointers. 

The Clippers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games as a favorite. Los Angeles is 1-5 ATS in their last six Saturday games and the over is 8-2 in their last 10 Saturday games. 

Meanwhile, the Wizards are 5-1 ATS in their last six after a straight-up loss and 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. Washington is 6-2 ATS in their last eight games after an ATS loss and 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games playing on two days’ rest. 

Pick: I’m likely going Clippers. It’s going to take a few games for the restart teams to get the rust shaken off, but LA seems a little closer than most. With a nice well-rounded lineup, the Clippers can get points and production from a lot of different guys. That’ll be important as the big names get back into a rhythm. This will probably be another relatively sloppy game, though.