Washington Wizards at New Jersey Nets Odds
The Washington Wizards (2-12 SU, 4-10 ATS) have had a horrible time this season. On Tuesday night they run into the New Jersey Nets (9-7 SU, 10-6 ATS), who have so far been a pleasant surprise, in NBA pro basketball sports betting action that is slated to get underway at 7:30 PM ET at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ.
BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: NEW JERSEY -5.5, Total 209.5
Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* WASH has lost seven of its last eight games SU
* WASH has covered one of its last five games
* WASH has lost its last six road games SU
* WASH has covered one of its last five road games
* NJ has won five of its last six games SU
* NJ has covered seven of its last nine games
* NJ has played five of its last six games OVER the total
Also….
* WASH has covered four of the last six meetings
* NJ has won eight of the last nine meetings SU
* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
* NJ has won the last six meetings SU as the home team
* Seven of the last nine meetings in East Rutherford have gone OVER the total
* NJ has has the shooting edge in seven of the last nine meetings
* NJ has made more three-pointers in seven of the last nine meetings
Washington’s problem, now and all season, has been that they don’t have much of an offensive presence in the middle. The situation has gotten to the point where JeVale McGee, the raw rookie out of Nevada, has been getting some appreciable playing time. McGee is underdeveloped as an offensive figure, though he can block some shots. A large part of the rebounding is coming from Antawn Jamison, who’s averaging 9.7 on the season, to go with his 20.8 ppg.
The Nets have been pleasant surprise for their fans, there is no doubt about that. New Jersey is sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division, a game ahead of both the Knicks and Raptors. This was supposed to be a transitional year, but some of the young players are coming together to play well. And Vince Carter, who many had ticketed for an exit before the trade deadline, is being hailed as the leader this team of inexperienced players needs. Carter and point guard Devin Harris, the man who took over that role from Jason Kidd, are both in the NBA’s top ten in scoring, at 23.5 ppg, and that is the first time in their NBA history that the Nets have had two top ten scorers.
I wonder whether saying Washington has been more competitive lately is something they can cling to. The Wizards picked up their first victory of the season last Tuesday against the defenseless Golden State Warriors, and in their last couple of road losses, at least they have made a game of it. The new head coach, Ed Tapscott, has been able to breathe a little life into this team, and maybe he can help this club hold on to leads. Washington has had a fourth-quarter lead in eight of the 12 games they’ve lost. And they had better get this game, because with teams like the Lakers, Blazers, Pistons and Celtics upcoming, this could degenerate into a long losing streak.
New Jersey is lacking some manpower right now. Sure, Carter and Harris are intact, but reserves like Keyon Dooling and rookie Chris Douglas-Roberts may both be out of action for this one, and Josh Boone’s absence is felt on the front line. Eduardo Najera, who was also brought on board to provide some veteran presence in the second unit, has been out.
We’re going to give Washington, with a couple of days’ rest, a chance here to play well. Let’s grab the points with the Wizards, the 5.5-point underdog in the BetUS NBA pro basketball sports betting odds.
