Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - The
Los Angeles Lakers hope to end a two- game skid when they travel to the MCI Center to take on the
Washington Wizards.
The Lakers are coming off a 98-95 overtime setback at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Kobe Bryant had 41 points on an inconsistent shooting night. Bryant shot 17- for-47 from the field and ran hot-and-cold. He was 4-for-15 in the first half, scored 18 in the third quarter and then missed 10 consecutive field-goal attempts down the stretch.
"I haven't seen anybody shoot 47 shots before, ever. There's a limitation to what you can do," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I was telling the team, 'He carried us back into the game. Now stop going to the well. It can dry up.'"
Tonight's game wraps up a three-game road trip for the Lakers. LA is 1-3 away from Staples Center thus far this season.
Washington snapped a two-game skid with a 107-100 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday night. Jerry Stackhouse scored 35 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the field and 15-of-17 from the line, as the Wizards led the game from wire-to-wire.
Stackhouse scored eight straight points in a game-opening 19-3 run, and his hustle helped restore the Wizards' edge after Cleveland cut it to three at halftime. Michael Jordan didn't even score until the fourth quarter, and was happy to play a supporting role.
"He sets the tone," said Jordan, who finished with six points and four assists in 24 minutes. "My job, when I get in there, is to keep that momentum going. When he's in the game with me, obviously I'm going to do everything I can to keep him in that rhythm. Whenever he falters, hopefully I can be there to help pick him up.
"I'm just keeping things moving. That's what you see out there, the future of this franchise. Me, I'm just complementing whenever we need it," he said.
The Lakers have dominated this matchup, winning four straight and nine of the last 11 meetings between the teams. Los Angeles has won four of its last seven road games in the series and has a 102-58 edge in the all-time series.
