Posted on 2/29/2008 4:45:36 PM

NBA Betting Furious Free Picks - Back to Baby Bull Basics

By Tim Furious

Washington Wizards (27-30) vs. Chicago Bulls (23-34)

Friday, February 29th --- United Center, Chicago --- 8:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Chicago -5 (197.5)

The weeping Wizards continue to astound the betting community despite racking up losses. They are 6-2 ATS in their past 8 games and are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games on the road. To say that Antwan “Call Me Atlas” Jamison hasn’t been playing the lights out is like saying that soccer players in Italy don’t have ridiculously hot girlfriends (or awesome hotel orgies that get national attention in the news). But how do they fare against a team like Chicago, who underwent a massive facelift after the trade deadline.

While these aren’t the Baby Bulls of yester-year, they are certainly still trying to achieve better chemistry. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng have been doing everything under the golden sun to keep this ship from sinking. Gordon leads the team with 19.9 points and Deng chips in 17.1 and 6.6 boards. But the supporting cast is simply not what it was last year.

Kirk Hinrich is one of the more under celebrated point guards in the league. With a decent line of 12.9 points and 6.1 helpers per game, it’s hard to say whether he is getting just the right amount of love from the fans or not. Joakim Noah has only averaged 16.8 minutes per game so it’s incredibly difficult to gauge him. And while Thomas remains one of the most ridiculous athletes in the league, he is nowhere close to being a good basketball player. Seriously. He has 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds and only 1.0 blocks per game. His instincts are erratic and he literally disappears at many times. The critics may be harsh, but that’s to be expected considering how high he was drafted.

Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes have yet to suit up for the Bulls, and it remains to be seen if they’ll give Chicago the boost they needed. Isn’t it Ironic that Larry was supposed to be the Scottie Pippin to Lebron’s MJ in Cleveland, and now he’s all alone in the house that Jordan built? What’s even more ironic is that he is playing the Wizards tonight – the team that he enjoyed the best years of his career with.

The Bulls are 9-3 ATS in their past 12 games, locking teams down in the UNDER in 4-of-5 at home. They are 4-1 ATS when playing Washington over the course of the last five games, with an equal record in SU victories. Chicago play much, much better at home and are coming off a harsh three-game road trip. Washington is in the midst of their own voyage from home, and it’s going well, but they are logging a serious amount of miles. They played in Houston and New Orleans last weekend, and are not in the confines of Chicago. Coming off a devastating 94-69 loss to Houston should tell you just how tired the thinned out Wiz are.

But here’s the clincher – Chicago has gone from a nice blend of veteran leadership and youth, to…well…the Cleveland Cavaliers if they didn’t have Lebron. They have the worst shooting percentage in the league. The worst! They were one of those “oh god they’re going to start shooting the lights out. We’re screwed” teams last year. Now they’re about as scary as a puppy trying to bowl a perfect score on a Nintendo Wii.

Disaster usually strikes when a team like Chicago is trying to revamp itself and inject its unprepared rookies in to roles they’re not ready to fill yet. Look for Noah and Thomas to be the weakest link as the Washington Wizards scrap together a win. I like Washington with any spread of 5 points or more. So take the dark horse because they play far superior team defense, (12th in the league with 98.3 points against) and are playing a team that can’t play defense to save their season, and shoots like a one armed blind man in a noisy room.

NBA Furious Free Picks: Washington (UNDER)

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!