For the second time in 48 hours, the Atlanta Hawks will host the Washington Wizards at State Farm Arena. The Hawks barely won the first game even though the Wizards were without one of the NBA’s leading scorers in Bradley Beal. Can the Hawks make it two in a row or will the Wizards continue to climb the Eastern Conference playoff standings with a win here?
Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 – 07:00 PM EDT at State Farm Arena
Atlanta Needs Every Win They Can Get
Barely winning against Washington should serve as a wake up call to this Hawks team, although the spread for this game is a bit high considering what we saw in the last game. Even though Bradley Beal will miss his second consecutive game, I think Hawks -6.5 is slightly too much. Anything over 6 and I think the value is with the Wizards for a few different reasons. According to reports, De’Andre Hunter is set to miss out tonight after returning to the lineup on Monday where he played 13 minutes. He is being rested because the Hawks play again tomorrow.
While Hunter barely played in the first game, not having him in the lineup at all certainly doesn’t make them better tonight. The reality is the Hawks need to win out to secure their position in the Eastern Conference playoffs. At the moment they sit in 4th place but they have the exact same record as the Heat and the Knicks. They simply can’t afford to lose here although the Wizards have motivation of their own to keep going.
Wizards Will Be Confident in the Rematch
Now that Russell Westbrook is the all time leader in triple doubles, hopefully he can start translating those stats to wins. I’ve always been a harsh critic of Westbrook because I pay attention to advanced metrics which are not kind to him at all. That said, he’s passed some of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball on his way to achieving that record so he has to be given respect for that. The one thing I’ll never criticize Westbrook for is his desire. In an era where a lot of his counterparts take rest days, Westbrook takes no days or plays off for that matter.
If the Wizards make the playoffs, it would be because Westbrook has basically willed them there and for that, he has my utmost respect. His team is also not the most talented so even though I think any player that’s as ball dominant as him can’t win when it counts, in this specific situation, he basically has to be superhuman for them to win. Russ plays with a chip on his shoulder and he will not be happy with the fact that he had the chance to win the game with a three that he missed with two seconds left.
He has never been a good outside shooter so it is surprising that he missed but don’t tell Westbrook that. Part of what makes him a great player and a future Hall of Famer is his unwavering self belief. In his mind, he will believe that he absolutely should have made that shot. I also feel like his confidence has rubbed off on his teammates who have really been playing well for an extended stretch.
NBA Pick: Wizards +6.5 (-110) at BookMaker
