Sacramento Kings at Washington Wizards
Jan 11th, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST
Opening Line: Washington -6.5
Current Line: Washington -6.5
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 197
Opening Moneyline: Wash -278 / Sac +238
Current Moneyline: Wash -275 / Sac +235
Not a lot is going right for either team. Both have won 3 of their last 10 and sit near the bottom (Washington) or at the bottom (Sacramento) of their respective conferences. In fact, it’s kind of like a showdown for which conference has the worst team. And yet, despite both being horrible, the Wizards are 6.5 point favorites according to Vegas oddsmakers.
That either speaks to how bad Sacramento is, or that Washington is getting better, neither of which I believe is the case. Sacramento has a couple of nice young pieces in Cousins and Tyreke Evans, and Washington has John Wall, who promises to have a nice NBA career. The fact remains, though, that Washington is a good team at home (9-8) and their horrible record comes from their 0-18 road record!
Sacramento may be without one of their two bright pieces in Evans. He injured his foot. “I’m hopeful but I’m not really expecting him to be able to play (Tuesday),” coach Paul Westphal said. “We’ll see how he feels and maybe he’ll be able to go.”
Some betting trends:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacto’s past 7 and they are 4-19 SU on the road in their last 23. They are 7-14-1 ATS in their last 22 games and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of their last 10 road games. They are 0-5 SU in their last 5 road games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 roads. They are also 3-8 ATS in their last 11 vs Washington and the total has gone OVER in 4 of the last 6 between the teams. Sacramento is 2-9 SU in their last 11 against the Wizards and the total has gone OVER In 11 of the last 14 in Washington. The Kings are 0-5 SU in their last 5 on the road against Washington.
Washington is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and the total has gone UNDER IN 12 of their last 14. Washington is 3-14 SU in their last 17 games and the total has gone UNDER In 5 of their last 5 at home. The total has gone OVER In 4 of their last 6 at home against the Kings.
Key matchups:
Beno Udrih vs. John Wall
John Wall should have no problem taking Udrih to school. Udrih has no athletic ability to speak of and Wall is a beast. Wall is in for a big game and the Wizards have had a lot of success with the Kings, so it is easy to see why NBA oddsmakers have set the line in their favor. Look for Wall to have no problem getting into the paint for easy baskets and dunks and with Dalembert not playing a lot of minutes there won’t be anyone to protect the paint for the Kings.
DeMarcus Cousins vs. Andray Blatche
Cousins has really developed into a low post threat. He’s scored 20+ in four of his last six games, including a 28 point, 8 rebound night against the Suns. Blatche is a decent player, but Cousins has superior talent and it is finally starting to show definiatively for the rookie. Look for Cousins to get good post position and have a good game. Blatche is rail thin and won’t be able to body up and keep Cousins off the low block.
With the Kings struggles and Tyreke Evans out most likely, it’s a good bet that the Wizards cover tonight’s spread.
