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Wizards Try to Continue Late Playoff Push

Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards Betting Preview

One of the hottest teams in the league, the Washington Wizards, takes on one of the NBA’s worst teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Nation’s capital on Monday night. The Wizards come into this one on a four-game winning streak, while the Thunder have dropped their last 10 contests.

The Thunder have long given up on the season and are currently 20-37 and in 13th place in the Western Conference standings. Oklahoma City has been stockpiling draft choices for a couple of years now, so its focus is on the future.

Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards dribbles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans
Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP

For Washington, the future is now, as it is trying to snap a two-year absence from the postseason. The Wizards are 23-33 and tied with Chicago for 11th in the Eastern Conference, percentage points behind Toronto and the last spot in the new play-in tournament.

The NBA odds have the Wizards as 13-point favorites in this one, with the over/under set at 232.

Playing It Out

The Thunder weren’t expected to do much this season, and they’ve mirrored those expectations, especially lately. Leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23.7 points per game) has been sidelined with plantar fasciitis since late March, which has coincided with the team’s current losing skid.

In his absence, forward Luguentz Dort has become the go-to guy for the Thunder, when he’s been able to play. Dort has dealt with concussion and hip troubles over the last month, moving him in and out of the lineup.

When he is on the court, Dort has been outstanding, averaging 28.0 points this month, including a 42-point effort against Utah last Tuesday. Unfortunately, he’s played in just four games since March 27, adding to the inconsistency of the Thunder’s attack.

Oklahoma City is 28th in the NBA in scoring at 105.3 points per game, and the defense has not been very good of late either. During the 10-game losing streak, the Thunder have given up at least 129 points five times, including surrendering 147 in a 38-point loss to Golden State last week.

Backcourt Strength

It’s hard to argue that the Wizards don’t possess the best backcourt in the NBA right now in Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook. Beal leads the league in scoring, while Westbrook has the most triple-doubles in the NBA this season.

Beal is scoring 31.1 points per game to go along with averages of 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He’s coming off a 37-point performance against Detroit on Saturday and has scored 30 or more in four straight games.

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double with 21.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game. He’s also averaging 1.3 steals per game and has triple-doubles in eight of 10 games this month, falling short by one assist in one game. His assist average is second in the NBA, trailing Brooklyn’s James Harden by 0.1 assists per game.

Center Daniel Gafford has been playing well since being acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline. The second-year pro is averaging 11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game with the Wizards despite playing just 17.3 minutes a contest.

Wizards In A Laugher

The Thunder just don’t have a whole lot of motivation right now, knowing they don’t have a shot at the postseason. That showed last week when Golden State — fighting for a playoff berth — missed hitting the 150-point mark only because it took the foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, scoring just 22 points.

Washington is going to bring that same kind of aggressiveness from its backcourt, which should bring another bring number on the scoreboard and another Wizards win.

When doing your NBA betting, make sure to go with Washington to win and cover in this one.

Pick: Washington Wizards -13 (-110)

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