For the second time in three days, the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks will lock horns at State Farm Arena in Atlanta to wrap up their three-game regular-season series. Last Monday, the Hawks barely outlasted the Wizards as 8-point home favorites, 125-124, and will have a chance Wednesday night to sweep Washington for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Atlanta opened as a 5.5-point home fave for Wednesday’s clash, while the totals are set at 239.5 points on BetRivers Sportsbook. The Hawks miss Cam Reddish (Achilles) and De’Andre Hunter (rest), while the Wizards are without Bradley Beal (hamstring), Deni Avdija (ankle), and Thomas Bryant (knee).
The Wizards suffered a tough loss on Russell Westbrook’s big night
The Washington Wizards (32-37; 39-29-1 ATS) failed short on Monday night, but Russell Westbrook celebrated a huge feat, recording his 182nd triple-double to break Oscar Robertson’s 47-year-old record. Russ accounted for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists but missed the potential game-winning triple, as the Wizards nearly overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Washington suffered its third loss in the last six outings and snapped a two-game win streak, as the Wizards recorded a couple of overtime victories last week, outlasting Indiana 133-132 and Toronto 131-129.
They are the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and will almost certainly reach the play-in tournament (Chicago is 2.5 games behind). The Wizards still can improve, as ninth-seeded Indiana is just half a game ahead of them. Washington will play its last two games of the regular season at home, facing off against Cleveland and Charlotte.
The Hawks are still aiming for the No. 4 seed in the East
The Atlanta Hawks would love to earn the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They are fifth in the East at the moment, only half a game behind the New York Knicks, and half a game ahead of the sixth-seeded Miami Heat.
At least, the Hawks have a pretty easy task in their last two games of the regular season. After Wednesday’s clash against the Wizards, the Hawks will welcome the hapless Orlando and Houston.
Atlanta has won four of its previous five games overall, going 3-2 ATS in the process. Trae Young hit the 30-point mark in four of his last six outings, and he was unstoppable last Monday, dropping 36 points on the Wizards. The Hawks own the eighth-best offensive rating in the NBA (115.5 points per 100 possessions), but their defensive rating is the eighth-worst in the league (113.9).
Trends:
Washington:
- 4-7 ATS in the last 11 games against the Southeast Division
Atlanta:
- 4-1-1 ATS in the last six games against the Southeast Division
The stake is huge for both teams here, and I’m looking for the Hawks to beat the shorthanded Warriors for the second time in three days. Washington battled bravely on Monday, but with Bradley Beal on the sidelines, I’m expecting the Wizards to lose by six or more Wednesday.
Monday’s game showed how inconsistent these two teams are, and the Wizards, who are 24th in the league in 3-point percentage (35.2%), went 13-for-26 from downtown. Washington tallied a whopping 45 points in the final period, but the Wizards couldn’t slow down the Hawks’ offense.
Pick: Take Atlanta Hawks -5.5 at -110
The Total:
The first meeting of the season between the Wizards and Hawks produced just 216 points in total, and the Hawks dominated the Wizards who barely hit a 100-point threshold. However, that was back in January, and the Wizards dropped 149 points on the Brooklyn Nets just two days later.
The Wizards love to push the tempo, playing at the fastest pace in the NBA (104.1 possessions per 48 minutes). On the other side, Atlanta record just 97.4 possessions per 48 minutes (23rd in the league), but the Hawks’ D has been a problem lately.
This is a tough wager, but I’m going with the under because the Wizards will miss Beal’s points a lot. Bradley scored 50 in that overtime win over Indiana and had 42 in a 135-134 defeat at Milwaukee last week. The Wizards have to bring their best defense if they want to win without their top scorer.
Pick: Go under 239.5 points at -110