The Washington Wizards continue to look for answers for their poor start as they sit at 1-6 SU and ATS this season and it doesn’t get any easier as the Oklahoma City Thunder come to town. The Thunder are on the second game of a back-to-back and are coming off a nice victory over the Charlotte Hornets last night. OKC will look to get its second road win of the season in a venue where the Thunder are 4-11 SU and ATS in their last 15 visits.
The Thunder opened as 2.5-point dogs with a total of 229.
- The Wizards are 1-8 SU and ATS in their last 9 games.
- The Wizards are allowing 122.4 points per game (last in the NBA).
- The UNDER has hit in all 3 of the Thunder’s road games this season.
Thunder vs Wizards Game Center
Wizards’ Defense is Killing Their Chances
One thing is for certain in the NBA, if you can’t stop anyone, you have no chance to win. The Wizards are allowing a putrid 122.4 points per game this season and four of their six losses have been by double digits. Washington is coming off a five-game road trip and has lost four straight and the arrival of Dwight Howard can’t come soon enough. Howard has been nursing a back injury to start the season but his presence down low should at least give them a chance to challenge drivers going to the rim and scoop up rebounds. The Wizards rank 27th in rebounds per game (41.3) with the worst rebounding percentage in the league.
I think Washington will get its act together as the Wizards are a notoriously better home team and won both of their games when the Thunder came to town last season while also covering the spread. I know the Wiz are 1-8 SU and ATS in their last nine games but with the Thunder coming off a back-to-back and the Wizards’ backs against the wall, I’d back them on the moneyline if I’m picking this game.
OKC May Be Hitting Its Stride
Riding a three-game win streak, it’s easy to forget the Thunder in the crowded Western Conference. Russell and the Westbrooks took down the Suns, Clippers and Hornets to push their record to 3-4 SU and ATS despite ranking 21st in points per game. That’s because their defense has stepped up as they rank seventh in opponent three-point field-goal percentage while also holding teams to 44 percent shooting from the field.
That’s been the book on OKC since last season, beating up the lower-end teams – 11-2 SU in the last 13 games vs teams with losing records – but falling short when matching up with the big boys of the NBA. If Thunder backers are planning to wager on OKC tonight, I would recommend just taking them on the moneyline instead of the 2.5-point spread.
Conflicting Trends for Totals Bettors
The total opened at 231.5 (since dropped to 229) and there’s a case that can be made on either side of that number. OKC is one of the lower-scoring teams in the NBA and the UNDER has hit in nine of its last 11 games on the road with an average combined score of 206.4 points per game. On the flip side, the Wizards defense is a trainwreck and the OVER has hit in five of their seven games this season with an average combined score of 234.2. My natural instinct is to take the UNDER at 229 but considering how scoring is way up in the NBA this season, no UNDER is safe.
My Pick Is…
To take the Wizards moneyline. The Wiz are more rested, will get Dwight Howard in the lineup and they beat this team twice last season on their home court. I wouldn’t recommend taking them on the spread in case the game is close but at -130 for the Wizards moneyline, that’s a decent value.
