The Washington Wizards head to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The Wizards snapped a three-game losing skid last Monday by defeating the Detroit Pistons in D.C. Washington has six losses in their last 10 games played and they head to Cleveland after playing the Miami Heat in Florida on Wednesday night. The Cavaliers have dropped five consecutive games and are coming off a 20-point blowout loss against the woeful New York Knicks. The Cavs are almost at the bottom of the team standings with only the Atlanta Hawks having a worse record than them.
The Washington Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak when they picked up a 106-00 win over the Detroit Pistons last Monday. The Wizards have won four out of their last 10 games entering Wednesday’s game against the Heat in Miami. Washington 14-28 on the season as of Tuesday night and they are 3rd in the Southeast Division.
The Wizards have been hit by injuries but Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant have returned to action. Beal scored 29 points in the win against the Pistons while Ian Mahinmi added 21 points for the Wizards. Bryant scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.
Washington ranks 6th in the NBA in scoring at 114.3 points per game. They are next to last in rebounding at 42.4 boards grabbed per contest and they are 10th in passing at 25.5 assists per game. The Wizards are the worst defensive team this season as they allow their opponents to score a league-worst 119.8 points per game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are almost at the bottom of the Eastern Conference right now with only the Atlanta Hawks owning a worse record than them. The Cavs figured in a showdown between fellow cellar-dweller team in the New York Knicks last Monday and the Cavs lost by 20 points.
Collin Sexton led the Cavs with 17 points while Cedi Osman scored 14 points. Kevin Love shot just 4-14 from the floor and had only 12 points. Tristan Thompson pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds and added 13 points while Larry Nance Jr. added 12 points off the bench in a losing effort.
The Cavs rank 27th in scoring at 104.8 points per game and they are giving up 113.9 points per contest which is 21st in the league this season. Cleveland is 20th in rebounding at 44.3 boards grabbed per contest and they are ranked 28th in passing at 21.4 assists per outing. They are shooting 45.0% from the floor while allowing opponents to shoot 48.7% from the field.
Entering Wednesday’s games, the Wizards are 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. Washington is 0-3 SU in their last three games played on the road, and 2-11 SU in their last 13 games against the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games played. Cleveland is 0-4 SU in their last four games played at home, and 4-11 SU in their last 15 home games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Cavs are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Wizards.
The Wizards snapped a three-game skid when they beat the Detroit Pistons in D.C. this past Monday night. However, Washington is playing in Miami on Wednesday night before traveling to Cleveland for this contest. The Wizard are still without Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner.
The Cavaliers have lost five straight games and are coming off a woeful 20-point loss to the New York Knicks on Martin Luther King Day. Cleveland has won just twice in their last 12 games played. The Cavs shot just 36% from the floor against the Knicks and scored just 36 second-half points.
Before losing to the Knicks, the Cavs blew a double-digit lead and lost to the Bulls. They were up one at the half against New York but looked tired in the second half. They’ve had plenty of rest since then and against a Washington team that was still playing the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. I’ll take the more-rested team here.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers
Washington is 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played and the Wizards are 0-3 ATS in their last three games on the road. Cleveland is 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Cavaliers are 1-3 ATS in their last four games at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Head to head, these teams are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 meetings but the Cavs have covered the spread in three out of their last four encounters.
Wizards
+1.5 (-110)
Cavaliers
-1.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/23/20
It’s always a tough job to pick between two losing teams. The Wizards enter this game with four wins in their last 10 games played while the Cavs head to this contest having lost five in a row. If you talk about momentum, it’s Washington who has that because they are coming off a win. But the Wizards play on Wednesday night at Miami before heading to Cleveland. Washington has lost five in a row on the road and while the Cavs aren’t that good at home, I’ll go with Cleveland here because Washington is playing back to back games.
Prediction: Cavaliers -1.5
The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played by the Wizards. Washington has seen the total go under in two out of their last three games played on the road. The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Cavs. The over is 3-1 in Cleveland’s last four games played at home. Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games played by the Wizards and Cavs.
Over
232.5 (-110)
Under
232.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/23/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 224.4 points in their last 10 meetings and 222.33 points per game in their last three head to head matchups. They combined for 213 points in their first meeting of the season last November 9, 2019. But the Wizards have allowed an average of 120.5 points per game in their last four games played while Cleveland has given up 118.6 points per game in their current five-game losing streak. The Wizards have the worst scoring defense in the league this season and are 6th in scoring. Cleveland also plays spotty defense and although they are the 4th lowest-scoring team in the league this season, Washington’s dreadful defense will help these teams hit the over.
Prediction: Over 232.5
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