Hawks Look to Bounce Back Against Wizards

The Washington Wizards (11-40 SU, 19-31-1 ATS, 23-26-2 O/U) are coming off a thrilling 119-117 win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, thanks to Caron ‘Tough Juice’ Butler.

The Atlanta Hawks (29-21 SU, 26-24 ATS, 23-25-2 O/U) started off the regular season on fire following their thrilling seven-game playoff series with the defending-champion Boston Celtics last season, but have been maddeningly inconsistent as of late.

Tonight, the Hawks will try to take down Butler, fellow all-star caliber forward Antawn Jamison and the Wizards while looking to get back in the win column following its pathetic performance in Saturday’s 121-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Washington picked up a solid ATS win by covering the spread as a 4.5-point home underdog on Sunday while the combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (214.5).

Butler scored a game-high 35 points to go along with 13 rebounds for Washington while Jamison poured in 34 points of his own in the win.

The Hawks failed to cover the spread as 7-point favorites at home while the game’s 218 combined points easily went OVER the night’s posted O/U total of 202.

Athletic forward Josh Smith had 16 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double in the loss but team scoring leader Joe Johnson struggled in scoring a team-high 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting.

Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks.

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 5 games

Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta

The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington’s last 10 games when playing Atlanta

Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 5 games when playing at home against Washington

Atlanta is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games at home

The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta’s last 10 games at home

NBA Odds

Washington Wizards +7½ -110

Atlanta Hawks -7½ -110

Over 201 -110

Under 201 -110

Analysis: While I am not impressed with the Atlanta Hawks and their recent play, they have been almost money in the bank to win at home, with its impressive 18-6 home mark, while the Wizards have gone a pitiful 3-21 on the road this season.

Take the Hawks to bounce back from their latest loss with a convincing win at home tonight.

NBA Free Picks: Hawks -7½ Points/Over 201 Total Points