Hawks vs. Wizards Pick ATS & Analysis 3/8/23

Atlanta Hawks (32-33 SU, 29-35-1 ATS) vs. Washington Wizards (31-34 SU, 30-33-2 ATS)
When: Wednesday, March 8th, 7:00 PM (ET)
Where: Capital One Arena, DC, Washington
TV: NBC

Point Spread: Atl -3.5/Wash +3.5
Total: 233
Money Line: Atlanta Hawks -166/+138

Notable Injuries

Hawks

Wizards

• Monte Morris (Questionable) Back

Recent Form

Heading into the game, Atlanta is 32-33 overall. When taking to the road, Atlanta has a mark of 14-20 and a win percentage of 41%. Currently, the team is 8th in the Eastern Conference. So far, they are 29-35-1 vs. the spread. Atlanta travels to take on the Wizards, hoping to avoid their 3rd straight loss.

After suffering a 130-128 loss to the Heat, Atlanta will be looking to bounce back. Trae Young was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points on a shooting percentage of 52.9%. In terms of betting, the Hawks managed to cover the spread as 2-point underdogs heading into the game.

Heading into the game, Washington is 31-34 overall. When playing at home, Washington has a mark of 15-15 and a win percentage of 50%. Currently, the team is 10th in the Eastern Conference. So far, they are 30-33-2 vs. the spread. In Washington’s last five games, the Wizards have a straight-up record of 3-2 while going 2-2-1 in those games. Going back to the last 10, they are 5-5 and 4-5-1 ATS.

Most recently, the Wizards took down the Pistons by a score of 119-117. Bradley Beal finished with 32 points, which was the most on the team. Washington did not cover the spread as 11-point favorites.

The Historicals

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Wizards picked up the win 119-116 win over the Hawks. Heading into the game, Washington was the 7.5-point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. This has been the only matchup between the two teams this season. Although the Wizards have the better ATS mark across the previous five head-head matchups at 3-2, the average scoring margin sits in favor of Atlanta, as they averaged 116 points per game while allowing 113. The over-under record in these same games is 4-1, with the teams combining for an average of 229 points per game.

Analysis

This season, Atlanta is among the league leaders in scoring, averaging 117.1 points per game. So far, the Hawks are also one of the more up-tempo teams in the league, sitting at 100.7 possessions per game. Atlanta comes into the game ranked just 28th in 3-point attempts per game. So far, they have connected on 35.3% of their shots from deep, which places them 25th in the NBA. The defense has been a struggle for Atlanta, as they currently allow 112.38 points per game. The team’s 3-point shooting defense has been a problem this year. So far, opposing offenses have hit 36.43% of their looks from the outside.

Going into today’s game, Trae Young is the leading scorer for the Atlanta team, with an average of 26.6 points per game. This season, his field goal percentage is 42.7%. The team’s second top scorer is Dejounte Murray, who is averaging 21.0 points per game.

This year, the Washington offense is not only near the NBA average in points at 113.2 points per game, but they are also playing at a pace similar to the league average. So far, the Wizards are ranked 20th in possessions per contest. Washington comes into the game ranked just 23rd in 3-point attempts per game. So far, they have connected on 36.2% of their shots from deep, which places them 20th in the NBA. On defense, the Wizards allow an average of 112.0 points per game, placing them 16th in the league. So far, teams have shot 35.92% on their looks from outside vs. Washington. This figure places them 21st in 3-point shooting defense.

Going into today’s game, Kyle Kuzma is the leading scorer for the Washington team, with an average of 21.4 points per game. This season, his field goal percentage is 44.4%. The team’s second top scorer is Kristaps Porzingis, who is averaging 22.9 points per game.

Betting Trends

• The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight-up loss.
• The Hawks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games.
• The Wizards are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Wizards are 42-19-2 ATS in their last 63 games playing on 0 days’ rest.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

The Washington Wizards have been playing really good basketball lately, despite it not showing in their recent win-loss record. I make this game at a pick’em, with a great shot to win straight up! I’m all over the Wiz at +4 tonight!