I like the Wizards +2 over the Bulls tonight. If you think the Wizards aren’t getting enough points, consider this: The Wizards lost to the Bulls by 2 in their last meeting 121-199 in double overtime, and have only lost by more than 2 points 6 out of 15 times since. We think the Wizards suck, but what do the Wizards think? They are confused as to why people haven’t noticed that the Wizards are competitive very consistently. Last night they lost to the Raptors as expected, but they led by 9 in the 4th quarter. Now they won’t get the credit they deserve for playing a tough game despite being basically out of playoff contention.
Chicago is on a hot streak, but that can be easily explained. Their record at the all-star break was 25-26. This looks so much worse than 26-25 because it is below .500. They decided to pick things up after the all-star break, and it was easy for them to do since they played such miserable teams (NYK twice, Min, Phi). None of these teams were motivated to play. The Knicks were wrapping up some trades and publicly declaring that their biggest concern was cap space. Minnesota went on a 4 game winning streak and was suddenly given too much credit. With no playoff hopes, they had nothing to play for. Philadelphia just impressively beat San Antonio. What would beating Chicago prove?
Chicago is probably not quite as urgent as they were a few days ago, and Washington is probably more motivated than any team Chicago has played so far. Take Washington +2.
I also like the Hawks beat the Jazz tonight straight up. The Jazz is hot. They have are 13-1 over their last 14 games, including wins over the Spurs, Suns, Blazers (twice), Mavs, and Nuggets. However, during that stretch, they are only 1-1 in the 2nd game of back-to-back games, and only 5-5 on the season. Now, coming off an overtime win in which they game back from a huge deficit, they have to play a much tougher team.
The Hawks probably don’t believe they are getting the respect they deserve. Their record is not much worse than Boston’s and Orlando’s, yet no one seems to take them as seriously.
The Hawks had a good game last night against Golden State until they outscored the Hawks in the 4th quarter 35-14 to win 108-104. The Hawks probably don’t know what hit them. The Jazz, on the other hand, had a horrible game against Portland until Portland relaxed and allowed the Jazz to come back and win in overtime. In other words, the Jazz got lucky.
Everyone is always saying the West is so much better than the East. That nonsense (even though it’s true) will contribute to the Jazz being much more confident, in a bad way. The Jazz will be caught of guard and they will be too tired to come back against a Hawks team that demands respect. Take the Hawks +5.
Chicago is on a hot streak, but that can be easily explained. Their record at the all-star break was 25-26. This looks so much worse than 26-25 because it is below .500. They decided to pick things up after the all-star break, and it was easy for them to do since they played such miserable teams (NYK twice, Min, Phi). None of these teams were motivated to play. The Knicks were wrapping up some trades and publicly declaring that their biggest concern was cap space. Minnesota went on a 4 game winning streak and was suddenly given too much credit. With no playoff hopes, they had nothing to play for. Philadelphia just impressively beat San Antonio. What would beating Chicago prove?
Chicago is probably not quite as urgent as they were a few days ago, and Washington is probably more motivated than any team Chicago has played so far. Take Washington +2.
I also like the Hawks beat the Jazz tonight straight up. The Jazz is hot. They have are 13-1 over their last 14 games, including wins over the Spurs, Suns, Blazers (twice), Mavs, and Nuggets. However, during that stretch, they are only 1-1 in the 2nd game of back-to-back games, and only 5-5 on the season. Now, coming off an overtime win in which they game back from a huge deficit, they have to play a much tougher team.
The Hawks probably don’t believe they are getting the respect they deserve. Their record is not much worse than Boston’s and Orlando’s, yet no one seems to take them as seriously.
The Hawks had a good game last night against Golden State until they outscored the Hawks in the 4th quarter 35-14 to win 108-104. The Hawks probably don’t know what hit them. The Jazz, on the other hand, had a horrible game against Portland until Portland relaxed and allowed the Jazz to come back and win in overtime. In other words, the Jazz got lucky.
Everyone is always saying the West is so much better than the East. That nonsense (even though it’s true) will contribute to the Jazz being much more confident, in a bad way. The Jazz will be caught of guard and they will be too tired to come back against a Hawks team that demands respect. Take the Hawks +5.
