Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
Thursday, 11/25/10, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Atlanta -7.5
Current Betting Line: Atlanta -8
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 196
Washington has split its last six games and is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time after grabbing a 116-114 overtime win over Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Wizards overcome a 17-point deficit and used a wide-open Nick Young 3-pointer to sink the Sixers. “That game was really pulling teeth,” said guard Gilbert Arenas. “We didn’t come out and play well. It was one of those roller-coaster games.” The team is 3-8 versus the Eastern Conference this year, dropping all six games away from the nation’s capitol. Washington has always fared poorly on the West Coast, so the squad must focus on picking up its first road game rather quickly. Washington is 5-5 ATS as an underdog this year and the NBA lines page has them getting a good amount of points this Thanksgiving.
The Wizards are meeting the Hawks for the second of four meetings this season after falling 99-95 in the first meeting at the Philips Arena on October 30th. Washington point guard John Wall led all scorers with 28 points and also had a game-high nine assists in the contest, with him scoring 22 of his points in the second half. He returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s victory after missing the previous four games with a sprained left foot, coming off the bench to finish with 25 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Young has really raised his level of play over the last six games off the bench, averaging 15.5 points to boost his season average to 10.5 points per game.
Atlanta opened the season with a 6-0 record and now sits just a game above .500 through 15 games, dropping a 107-101 overtime game at New Jersey last time out. “We just have to keep working,” said head coach Larry Drew. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves.” This is an important game for this club when considering it hits the road again with trips to New York and Toronto over the weekend. The Hawks lead the all-time series 136-132, including an 85-42 home record. Atlanta is 3-10 ATS as a favorite this season and 68-62 ATS in this role over the past three years.
The Hawks were led by guard Joe Johnson in the first meeting this season, but his scoring average has dropped off from a 21.3 scoring average last year to its current standing of 17.5 in 2010-11. He has been especially hard up to provide a scoring lift over the last four games, being held to 11.0 points per game and shooting 29.6 percent. Through 15 games, Atlanta is second in the league as a team in field goal percentage and fifth from the charity stripe.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Wizards are 2-7 ATS versus the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks are 3-10 ATS in the same situation.
