The Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Pelicans duke it out at the Smoothie King Center on Sunday.
The Washington Wizards have been in great form as they’ve won 10 of their last 12 games overall and they will be aiming for a fourth straight win after cruising past the Hawks in a 112-86 win on Friday. Otto Porter Jr. led the team in scoring with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, John Wall added 19 points with nine assists while Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat chipped in with 15 points each as the Wizards dominated the first half by 67-45 to set up the easy win. As a team, the Wizards shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 31 from the three-point line but the Wizards have been winning with their defense and they showed us again by holding the Hawks to 36 percent shooting while forcing them into 19 turnovers. With the win, Washington improves to 26-20 overall and 7-14 on the road.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have won five of their last nine and they will be looking to build on Friday’s impressive 119-103 win over the Spurs. Jrue Holiday led the team with 23 points and 11 assists, Terrence Jones added 21 points off the bench while Anthony Davis chipped in with 16 points and 22 rebounds as the Pelicans dominated the second half by 71-46 to overcome a slow first half. As a team, the Pelicans shot 52 percent from the field but what was more impressive was that they held the Spurs to just 39 percent shooting. With the win, New Orleans improves to 19-28 overall and 13-13 at home.
Looking at the betting trends, the Wizards are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against a team with a losing record, 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games overall and 4-0 ATS in their last four road games. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven against the Eastern Conference and 16-6 ATS in their last 22 Sunday games.
Head to head, the Wizards are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall and 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Phoenix. The under is 10-2 in the last 12 meetings overall and the under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in New Orleans.
The Pelicans have been playing some decent basketball and they looked especially good in Friday's win over the Spurs, but the Wizards have been in season-best form so I'm backing them to get the job done and claim their fourth straight win. Give me the Wizards by single digits in what should be a close one.