Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday, 1/28/10, 8:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Oklahoma City -10
Current Betting Line: Oklahoma City -10.5
Opening Total: 206.5
Current Total: 207.5
Washington has lost two games in a row and is coming off a 120-109 loss to Denver due to allowing the Nuggets to connect on 12 of 23 three-point shots. The Wizards are winless in 21 road games this season and will try to break the spell by playing their next four games away from the nation’s capitol. “I think our guys are looking forward to going on the road,” said coach Flip Saunders. “Sometimes going on the road for a four-game trip is better than going for one game, because you have the opportunity to bond a little bit.” Washington is 5-16 ATS on the road this season, but 2-0 ATS as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. The NBA lines page is worth taking a look at throughout the day on Friday.
The Wizards will be matching up with the Thunder for the first of two meetings this season, as they lost last season’s series, 2-0. Washington has been led by rookie point guard John Wall, who is leading all rookies this month in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (10.8 apg). He also joins just three other players in the league that currently averages at least 15 points, nine assists and four rebounds this season.
Oklahoma City is coming off an exciting 118-117 overtime victory over Minnesota and All-Star forward Kevin Durant proved to be the different by scoring a career-high 47 points. The Thunder snapped a three-game road losing streak with the win and are now 17-6 in contests decided by seven or fewer points. “It was fun to be a part of,” Durant commented. “That team over there, I’ll tell you one thing, they played very hard, very talented. Their record doesn’t do much justice to their team.” The squad is a solid 16-6 at home on the year, including a 7-1 mark when facing off against Eastern opponents. Oklahoma City is a perfect 3-0 ATS versus Southeast division opponents this year and 16-5 ATS over the past three years.
The Thunder are led by the offensive exploits of Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook, who are currently tied with Miami’s Lebron James and Dwyane Wade in the race to become the league’s highest scoring duo. Offensively, the team also takes care of its opportunities on the charity stripe, shooting a league-best 83.4 percent from the free throw line. Additionally, Oklahoma City leads the NBA in free throw makes (25.2) and ranks second in attempts per game (30.2).
Bettors will be interested in backing the Wizards due to their 5-2 ATS record versus a team with a winning percentage above .600, while the Thunder are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
