NBA Betting – Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns
Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns (-6.5, 212 o/u)
The Phoenix Suns (26-20, 13-9 home) are teetering on the edge of the playoff picture in the powerful Western Conference. Currently occupying the eighth and final slot, the Suns will need to end a two-game skid in order to stay ahead of the hard-charging New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tonight, the Suns host the Washington Wizards (31-15, 13-9 road) at the US Airways Center (10:30 p.m. Eastern).
The Suns have beaten the Wizards in seven of their last ten meetings, but the Wizards come in on a two-game road winning streak having downed the Nuggets on Sunday and the Lakers last night.
The Suns have ridden their potent offense to early-season success. The team averages 107.4 PPG, third in the NBA, and has five different players averaging over 13 points: Eric Bledsoe (16.9 PPG), Goran Dragic (16.5), Isaiah Thomas (15.4), Markieff Morris (15.3), and Gerald Green (13.5).
Their defense is another story, ranking third-last in the Association (105.3 PPG). The Suns have given up at least 100 points in their last four games, including 120 to the Clippers last time out.
Tonight, the Suns will have to pay close attention to Washington point guard John Wall; the Kentucky product averages 17.2 points per game and also leads the NBA in assists with 10.2 per night.
Wall and the Wizards may be without the veteran presence of Paul Pierce tonight, however. The former Celtic missed last night’s game with a sore toe. His status for tonight is unclear. The Wizards will be missing more than just a veteran presence if Pierce can’t go; “The Truth” is second on the team in scoring, averaging just over 17 per night.
With Pierce’s status in doubt, the Suns are big 6.5-point favorites for tonight’s game. Keep an eye on the news and, if Pierce can go, take the Wizards and the points.
(Photo credit: Keith Allison (Flickr: Bradley Beal, John Wall) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
