The Washington Wizards will host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.
The Wizards have not had a 2010 to remember. Coming off a loss to Orlando on Wednesday, the Wizards face the Celtics on Friday, before returning home to test themselves against the number two team in the Southeast. As their season winds down, coach Flip Saunders once again saw his team blow another chance for their first three game winning streak in two years. The Wizards’ last three-game winning streak came April 4-9, 2008. They will carry either a win over Boston or a two game losing skid into their bout with Atlanta.
The Hawks are another story entirely. Atlanta has been having a rough go as of late, disappointing sportsbook cappers and fans of NBA betting, playing below their expected level and feeling the effects of a long season. The Hawks are .500 in their last ten games going into their match with the Raptors on Friday. Failing some total failure on the part of the Hawks, they should pick up a win. The Hawks are a better team than the Raptors when the Raps are healthy, and the Raps are definitely not healthy at present.
Missing Chris Bosh, the Raptors will battle hard, but will ultimately be unable to do much against the Hawks. Looking at NBA odds, it should be noted that the Raps are also missing Hedeo Turkoglu, who took an unintentional head butt from Boston's Tony Allen on Wednesday. Indeed, the injury-weary Raptors should provide a confidence builder at home for Atlanta - the Hawks are 32-7 at Philips Arena.
Atlanta winning over Washington is certainly not a foregone conclusion, however. The Hawks have scored just 94.3 points per game over their last nine outings. This figure is well below their season average. They've topped 100 points just once in their last ten. Regardless, the Hawks continue to by dynamite at home, having won 10 straight at Philips Arena.
At the precipice of a 50-win season - their first since 1997-98, fans of sports betting know that Atlanta is also in a fierce race for the East's Number 3 seed. Wins against Toronto on Friday and Washington on Saturday could do wonders for the team. Given the points the Raptors and Wizards have allowed in recent outings, both teams present valuable opportunities for the Hawks to set things right. However, the Hawks will have to be wary they don't fall apart like they did against the Pistons earlier this week. Atlanta blew a nine point lead in that game, and were out-scored 25-16 in the fourth quarter. A loss to the Raptors on Friday would mean three straight losses for Atlanta since their season high four game skid at the beginning of January.
