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OKC Thunder vs. Washington Wizards Cappers Monday NBA Preview & Free Pick

Thunder vs Wizards NBA Handicapping

Good thing that the Oklahoma City Thunder make only one trip to D.C. this season. Their presence in the downtown section of the nation’s capital only serves to remind the few remaining basketball fans there of the difference between two franchises that were once pretty much on par.

Oklahoma City Thunder (26-7) at Washington Wizards (4-28)
Monday, Jan. 7
Verizon Center, Washington D.C.
7 p.m. EST
Spread – Thunder -10
O/U – 192.5 at SportsBettingOnline.ag

Matchup | Preview

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In the early 2000s the Thunder, after moving to the southwest from Seattle, were essentially what the Wizards have become – lousy most years, really lousy every now and then.

It was after one of those really lousy seasons (2006-07) that they hit paydirt. Portland whiffed on the first overall pick (Greg Oden), the Thunder snagged Kevin Durant and the rest is history.

The Wizards, meanwhile, were stuck with John Wall when their turn came and the Ping Pong balls fell their way in 2010.

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They figured that Wall would be a wire-to-wire type PG who would help them burn away the last vestiges of the Gilbert Arenas gun fiasco, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way.

Washington has never been able to find pieces to help Wall, and when he’s been healthy the Wiz have needed him to score rather than distribute.

And now he’s not even completely healthy. An injury to his left knee in September was supposed to keep him out until January, but now the team says it will be at least a few more weeks before he can get back on the court. At 4-28, what’s the point, other than perhaps to sell tickets?

Meanwhile, the Wizards struggle through a season of historically bad proportion. They lost their first dozen out of the gate, had an 8-game losing streak, and assumingly they lose tonight it will be six in a row. They may not be the worst team in NBA gistory – but they’re close.

And the schedule-maker has done the Wiz no favors, sending them to an obligatory (99-71) beating in Miami last night and forcing them to fly home to face the Thunder. Facing NBA finalists on back-to-back nights is cruel and unusual, but that’s life in today’s NBA.[ad-6571516]

Verizon Center fans will at least get a look at a great team with a great player.

Is there a chance for the Wizards? Sure. OKC also played last night (winning at Toronto) and the Thunder actually lost at home to the Nets last week. But when Oklahoma City loses it’s almost always to a decent team, and the Wizards have a long way to go before they’ll be referred to as decent.

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Besides all the problems that Durant and Russell Westbrook cause, the entire Thunder team has started to pay attention to defense. OKC has held five straight opponents under 100 points, and unless something really strange happens tonight, around 9:30 p.m. EST it should be an even half-dozen.

Thunder should have no trouble covering 10.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!