Monday’s Lakers-Wizards matchup features two All-Star starters in LeBron James and Bradley Beal.
Wizards (10-17) at Lakers (22-9)
• Bradley Beal continues the lead the NBA in scoring (32.9 ppg), field goals made (11.6 per game) and attempted (24.2). The last player to average over 24 shots per game was James Harden, who averaged 24.5 field goal attempts in 2018-19 when he averaged 36.1 ppg (the eighth-highest scoring average in league history). Prior to Harden, it was Kobe Bryant (27.2) and Allen Iverson (25.3) in 2005-06.
• LeBron James has tallied at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in 31 straight games. It is the longest streak in league history, as he topped his own previous record of 30 consecutive games on Saturday against Miami (19 pts, nine rebounds, nine assists). The next-longest active streak belongs to Harden (12 games).
• Which team will dictate the pace in this matchup? The Wizards lead the league in pace at 104.44 possessions per 48 minutes, while the Lakers rank 24th (98.86). Despite playing at the fastest pace in the league, the Wizards rank 27th in fast break points (10.1 per game), while the Lakers rank seventh (14.8 per game).
• The Lakers have lost back-to-back home games and will look to avoid their first three-game home losing streak since dropping five in a row from March 1-22, 2019. The Lakers are 9-6 at home (9th in NBA) this season compared to a league-best 13-3 on the road.
• Russell Westbrook recorded his league-leading eighth triple-double of the season on Saturday as he finished with 27 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in Washington’s win against Portland. The Wizards have won three straight games when Westbrook records a triple-double, after dropping the first five such games of his tenure in D.C.
