The NBA is a very high scoring league so far this season. The Wizards have contributed to that with their last ranked defense. But there are circumstances here that set up an Under play with this very big opening total.

Let's start with the Clippers. They rank No. 2 in defensive field goal percentage. That's not a surprise considering how many excellent perimeter defenders they have, including Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley. Luc Mbah a Moute is very good, too, but he may not play because of a sore knee. LA is giving up the 10th-fewest points in the league.

That's impressive since the Clippers haven't met an Eastern Conference foe yet. The Wizards are their first one. The Clippers have gone against a number of strong Western Conference offenses. Their opponents have been the Nuggets, Thunder, Rockets twice and Pelicans.

Western teams play up-tempo and fast. The Wizards are likely to play a a slower pace considering this is their fourth road game in six days. I also expect the Wizards to put a tremendous effort into their defense after John Wall and Bradley Beal spoke out about how selfish and bad the team is defensively. This happened after the Wizards lost 116-112 to the Kings Friday at Sacramento. That dropped Washington to 1-4.

So look for the Wizards to use what effort they have left to clamp down on the defensive end.