Posted on
2/12/2008 9:58:26 AM
NBA Basketball Betting – Wizards at Warriors
By Eric Williams
While the Golden State Warriors, (30-20 SU, 22-28 ATS, 27-22-1 O/U) aren’t starting to excel at their fun brand of basketball, winning 10 of its last 14, the Washington Wizards, (24-26 SU, 28-22 ATS, 25-25 O/U), are nearing flat-out panic mode at the moment after dropping seven consecutive games and eight of its last ten.
The Warriors, have won seven of their last ten including a solid 105-102 victory over the rejuvenated Sacramento Kings on Saturday as young shooting guard Monta Ellis has taken over for the Warriors – literally willing the team to two wins in its last three contests, while draining an amazing 30 of 37 shots from the field (81.1 percent) and averaging 26.7 points over the span.
The 22-year-old Ellis shot the Kings down, nailing 12-of-15 shots from the field and taking over late in the contest by scoring 16 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter.
"It was great to see him pick up the scoring and energy we needed," said Warriors point guard Baron Davis. "That's why we won. He took the game over and made the defensive and energy plays we needed."
The Wizards lost to the Phoenix Suns on the road on Sunday 108-107 but are still in second place in the Southeast Division and sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.
The team has not fared well without all-star forward Caron Butler and has recently begun to feel the effects of playing nearly all season without high-scoring point guard Gilbert Arenas.
Butler, (21.4 ppg) sat out against the Suns with lingering hip flexor problems, the sixth game he’s missed in Washington’s last eight contests.
"We're a little undermanned, we've got guys playing that are banged up and we're missing two All-Stars out of our lineup and our backup point guard started for Antonio Daniels," said Wizards center Brendan Haywood,
Butler’s fellow all-star forward Antawn Jamison has single-handedly tried to keep the Wizards’ boat afloat recently and had a spectacular game against the Suns scoring 28 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Here are some of the game’s key trends, followed by my NBA Betting Free Picks:
The Wizards are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Monday games.
The Warriors are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 Monday games.
The Over is 5-0 in Wizards last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600.
The Over is 6-1 in Warriors last 7 games following a S.U. win.
The Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Analysis: NBA bettors already know there won’t be much, (any?) defense played in this contest, making the ‘Over’ a very attractive wager tonight. In the end, I also say take the Wizards to cover the spread despite being just 3-7 ATS in its last ten games.
NBA Free Picks: Over 213 Total Points/Washington + 8½ Points
10:35 PM EST NBA Betting Odds
Washington Wizards +8½ -110
Golden State Warriors -8½ -110
Over 213 -110
Under 213 -110
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